Ugh, I went new world.

This is the town of Marsanne.


This is the grape of Marsanne.
This is the wine of (Qupe) Marsanne (2006).
This is the grape of Roussanne. (17% of the wine!)

Stop the presses: I drank a Cali wine! When only mediocre Frenchies exist and wines from Bob L. are at crazy-low prices. This wine was fantabulously good! Yes, in that on-the-fruit sort-of California way, but fantastic.

Qupe Marssanne 2006 Santa Ynez Valley, 12.5% abv

Crazy low abv for a Rhone-ish white, if you ask me. Really nice. Fantastic acidity that gives the wine a mineral richness, meduim bodied, lots of really linear tangerine and meyer lemon notes. Has only a hint of that Marsanne breadth that one comes to expect. Really killer value, and such a restrained effort. The honey/chamomile Roussanne peaks through very nicely adding a fair dollop of complexity. A fantastic food pair, with just about anything from firm flesh whitefish, anything with a tropical sauce, to green curry, to just good converstation.

I have a weakness for Rhone whites. Don't tell Chenin/Riesling I cheat on him. (Good Roussanne is heaven.)