Roussanne
Today, we travel to Hermitage, just south of Lyon and west of Grenoble on the northern banks of the Rhone. While many of the world's most sought after Syrah-based blends are produced in this region, today, we are drinking white wine made predominantly of Roussanne.
While Roussanne is often blended with Marsanne, the Marsanne being predominant, that's not our focus today. Roussanne is the far more sought after grape, but fussy and tempestuous. The vines are not at all hardy, yields will be extremely high one year and extremely low the next, and Roussanne is particularly susceptible to both powdery mildew and rot.
So, why do we possibly care about this grape? It's one of two, along with Marsanne allowed in the whites of Hermitage, and one of the four in Chateauneuf du Pape.
While Roussanne is used to produce white wine, the grapes are not particularly white or even green. Instead, they are usually a kind of reddish-brown color, perhaps russet, and possibly leading to the development of its name.
Upon opening a bottle of Roussanne, the first thing we notice is the aroma -- with eyes closed you would think it was a fine floral herbal tea. On the palate, we get pear drizzled in honey with a fair amount of acidity although as the growing climate cools, the flavors and aromas become more floral and less fruity.
One of the real quirks of Roussanne is its donut hole of maturity. Consumed relatively young, the fruit flavors come through rapidly. After about 8-10 years of aging, the wine becomes softer and far more luxurious on the palate. In between, however, Roussanne wines have a tendency to tighten up and not be enjoyable. To my knowledge, the reason is a mystery.
Pair northern Rhone Roussannes with creamy pasta dishes (Alfredo and Carbonara, for example, white fish, or sesame chicken). The southern Rhone and Washington state Roussannes, tending toward fuller body normally having been aged in oak are a great pairing for pork among people who just prefer white wines or who want to drink a cooler (in temperature) wine during the summer.
While Roussanne is often blended with Marsanne, the Marsanne being predominant, that's not our focus today. Roussanne is the far more sought after grape, but fussy and tempestuous. The vines are not at all hardy, yields will be extremely high one year and extremely low the next, and Roussanne is particularly susceptible to both powdery mildew and rot.
So, why do we possibly care about this grape? It's one of two, along with Marsanne allowed in the whites of Hermitage, and one of the four in Chateauneuf du Pape.
While Roussanne is used to produce white wine, the grapes are not particularly white or even green. Instead, they are usually a kind of reddish-brown color, perhaps russet, and possibly leading to the development of its name.
Upon opening a bottle of Roussanne, the first thing we notice is the aroma -- with eyes closed you would think it was a fine floral herbal tea. On the palate, we get pear drizzled in honey with a fair amount of acidity although as the growing climate cools, the flavors and aromas become more floral and less fruity.
One of the real quirks of Roussanne is its donut hole of maturity. Consumed relatively young, the fruit flavors come through rapidly. After about 8-10 years of aging, the wine becomes softer and far more luxurious on the palate. In between, however, Roussanne wines have a tendency to tighten up and not be enjoyable. To my knowledge, the reason is a mystery.
Pair northern Rhone Roussannes with creamy pasta dishes (Alfredo and Carbonara, for example, white fish, or sesame chicken). The southern Rhone and Washington state Roussannes, tending toward fuller body normally having been aged in oak are a great pairing for pork among people who just prefer white wines or who want to drink a cooler (in temperature) wine during the summer.
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