Walked into Kokomanns ystrday & low & behold they just got in a Marselan that I tried last night:
1. Dom.de Couron Marselan IGP: Ardeche (14.5%; MeBaD; 900 btls in the US; ChloeWines/Seattle) Jean-Luc et Marie-Lise Dorthe/St.Marcel d'Ardeche 2019: Very dark/near black color; quite earthy/loamy some blackcurranty/Cab/plummy bit peppery rather rustic/coarse fairly interestig nose; soft slightly off-dry (0.2%-0.4% r.s.?) quite rich/ripe/overripe fairly complex rather earthy/loamy some blackberry/blackcurranty/plummy/slight peppery slightly Rhonish/Languedoc/rustic/coarse flavor w/ light very ripe tannins; med.long fairly soft/ripe/overripe fairly strong blackcurranty/Cab/plummy/blackberry rather ripe/overripe/rustic bit coarse finish w/ modest very ripe tannins; a quite tasty if overripe/rustic Languedoc red at a very good price; not quite as interesting/peppery/Rhonish as the Uruguay version of Marselan. $12.50 (KK)
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More keesterdiddle from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Sorry to inflict two Marselans on you over two days. Not that anyone cares about Marselan, though.
Marselan was a cross developed in the Languedoc in 1961 between CabSauv X Grenache. It's clearly a variety they should be planting all up&down the Coast of Calif. It apparently is available from a Bakersfield nursery and there are some plantings in NorCal, though I've never seen it listed as in a wine. There is some plantings in AZ & TX. And a large cooperative French/China planting of Marselan.
Interesting that the back label labeled it as Cabernet/Grenache, implying it was a blend rather than a variety in its own right.
Tom