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2019 Crozes-Hermitage Rouge
Jean-Claude MarsanneOf all the Northern Rhône producers we work with today, Domaine Marsanne was the first whose wines Kermit imported, back in the early 1980s. “My first taste of [the domaine’s] wine,” he wrote in the February 1982 newsletter, “was in Burgundy when Aubert de Villaine served the 1977 at lunch in Bouzeron.” After a brief period of importing the family’s Saint Josephs and Crozes-Hermitages, the family prioritized its small production for local clientele and Kermit went on to find other vignerons around the region’s sleepy villages who, in just a decade, helped turn such appellations as Cornas, Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, and Saint-Joseph into the revered sources of Syrah they are today.
Then, a few years ago, Kermit recognized the Marsanne name on a wine list in Paris and, remembering his relationship with the family decades before, ordered a bottle. Providing great pleasure and typicity of its northern Rhône terroir, the bottle was enough to inspire renewed contact with the current generation of Marsannes, Jean-Claude and his two daughters, who produce not only exquisite Saint-Josephs but also this sublime Crozes-Hermitage from a small, but ideally situated plot of 50-year-old vines that Jean-Claude inherited from his grandmother. Dark, textured, and aromatic, the 2019 boasts beautiful notes of black cherry, stones, and a hint of black olive. This textbook northern Rhône Syrah is perfectly suited to fall roasts and winter stews
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Syrah |
Appellation: | Crozes-Hermitage |
Country: | France |
Region: | Northern Rhône |
Producer: | Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne |
Winemaker: | Jean-Claude Marsanne |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1967, .82 ha |
Soil: | Granite |
Aging: | Fermented in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 12-15 months in 228L barrels |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
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February Club Gourmand ~ This small parcel has a fruit-forward, approachable style, yet with intense spice and licorice in there as well, perhaps from the deep-rooted old Syrah vines.
About The Producer
Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne
The Marsanne family, as their name attests, has a long and deep-rooted history in the northern Rhône, in particular around Mauves, the birthplace of the Saint-Joseph appellation. In 1920, current owner Jean-Claude’s grandfather, Jean-Pierre, became the first in the family to focus solely on vineyards—no easy task given the impossibly steep slopes of Mauves, where everything must be worked by hand and pickaxe. Jean-Pierre started with just a few small parcels, selling off his crop to prestigious négociants, and was quickly renowned throughout the region for the exceptional quality of his grapes. His untimely passing in 1950 forced his son, Jean, to quit school at age 16 to take over the domaine. He continued his father’s work in earnest, his vineyards often being recognized amongst the village’s best, not just for their exposition and soil, but also for the attention to detail young Jean paid to each vine. The grape sales financed some small land purchases in and around Mauves, and the domaine slowly grew to 3 hectares. In 1970, Jean made the leap to begin making and bottling the wines himself. Over time, a small, but loyal following developed, especially among France’s fine dining establishments, which valued the finesse and elegance of Marsanne’s cuvées. The domaine remained largely unknown on the international scene, overlooked by many journalists and clients who sought out bolder, more extracted styles.
Since taking over from Jean in 1991, Jean-Claude has continued to add select new parcels, growing the domaine to 9.6 hectares. While still mostly focused on Syrah from the hallowed terroir of Mauves, he now farms a few small plots of Marsanne for his Saint-Joseph blanc, as well as some Viognier and Syrah in the Ardèche hills west of the village. He also inherited a superb plot of Crozes-Hermitage that once belonged to his grandmother.
Kermit came across Jean Marsanne during his early adventures in France in the 1970s, and was struck by the wines’ aromatic complexity and Jean’s meticulous care for the vineyards. He even managed to import a few bottles in those early days. Kermit and the Marsannes lost touch and life went on, until decades later when Kermit spotted a familiar label while dining out in Paris. The bottle was ordered, uncorked, and an old collaboration was renewed.
Jean-Claude holds tightly to the traditions of his family. These include farming the steepest parcels by hand, as was done by his grandfather; using indigenous yeasts for slow, natural fermentations, like his father taught him; and aging his wines extensively on fine lees, releasing each cuvée at its most expressive moment. The reunion with Marsanne is one of great pride on both sides.
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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.