2023 Jean-Claude Marsanne IGP Ardèche 'Syrah Mauve' 750ml
Regular price $79.00 Sale price $64.00"This cuvée comes from two granite lieux-dits from the hills above the Rhône, the Collines Rhodaniennes. It tastes of pure Syrah, like a baby Saint-Joseph, and is great for any time you want an unmistakable taste of the region and its smoky, peppery reds."
—Jane Augustine
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. The vines are planted in 2016 among a miscoscopic .77ha plot on granite soils. The grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks for 4 weeks without SO2 and aged in stainless steel for about 11 months.
Jean-Claude holds tightly to the traditions of his family, including farming the steepest parcels by hand, as was done by his grandfather Jean-Pierre; 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 highly-sought results are breathtaking: perfumed and vibrant, notes of black berry fruit, black pepper as well as slight smokiness from the oak barrel, all delivered with seemless class.