Roussanne
The vivacious redhead
“Roux” is French for “rust-red” or “red-haired”, just the way the ripe berries of Roussanne gleam. The grape thrives in the northern Rhône Valley, where it shapes, among others, the white wines of Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph. Further south, it contributes its lively acidity and aromatic bouquet of apricot, herbs and flowers to white Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône. It is almost inextricably linked with its close relative the Marsanne, with which it is nearly always blended. As early as 1781 they were both mentioned together in a text about the Hermitage region. For the last few years, they have even celebrated successes in California. A group of vintners there, nicknamed the “Rhône Rangers” – an allusion to the hero from Westerns – cultivates typical Rhone varieties.
