Marsanne

Here is an overview of principal California American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), the U.S. equivalent of appellations, associated with Marsanne. For a deep dive into specific regions, please visit our Regional Guides.

There is not much of this variety in the Golden State where it is grown in just 17 of California’s 58 counties. While no region dominates quantitatively, its best premium expressions are concentrated in three spots, all in the Central Coast:  Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County. Given its viticultural and historical challenges, producers who are committed to quality are the state’s focus. Specifically, San Luis Obispo’s Paso Robles has a desirable combination of limestone (calcareous) soils, conflated with weathered granite, older marine sedimentary rocks and some volcanic rocks, making up a perfect composite for Rhône varieties. In the end, the reality that there are fewer than 47 ha/116 acres of Marsanne in the ground is a testament to the dedication of those who do opt to produce it.

Although Jancis Robinson MW noted in her celebrated Vines, Grapes, and Wines (Mitchell Beazley 1992) that “a virtual takeover in the Northern Rhône does not make Marsanne a widely planted vine on a national scale,” France remains the epicenter for global plantings of the variety, with significantly more than closest rival, Australia.

• France: Rhône Valley (Hermitage, Saint Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Péray, Châteauneuf-du-Pape), Languedoc, Ardèche

• Australia: All over. Best in Victoria (Nagambie Lakes)
• Switzerland: Valais
• The Americas: Washington state, Chile (Central Valley, notably in Colchagua, and in Aconcagua)
• Other countries: Italy (Emilia-Romagna), Portugal (Alentejo)