History
Roussanne's origins lie in the central Rhône region of southern France in the Isère Valleys. Precisely when it originated is unknown, but we do know that 80% of French acreage is located in Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon, and Vaucluse. The grape’s more recent history is well-documented. In the mid-20th century, many plantings in France became infected with the fanleaf virus and were subsequently replaced with the less interesting but more resilient and consistent producer, Marsanne. Roussanne is purported to be named for its skin color when ripe, a reddish-gold that equates to the French word roux, meaning "russet" or "redhead.” Cool theory, but there is no definitive proof. Roussanne was originally thought to have arrived in California in the 1980s, but all was not as it seemed. A rather long and drawn-out sleuthing ensued, with the result being that the original source of California Roussanne turned out not to be Roussanne at all but Viognier. Although the entire saga is somewhat amusing if viewed from the periphery, it’s evident that even in today's world of modern genetic testing and carefully propagated cuttings, one mistake in sourcing a varietal type can have a far-reaching and long-lasting effect (hello Albariño and Australia!). You can get deeper insight with the complete Roussanne-Viognier story as told by the renowned MW Jancis Robinson here.
California Roussanne Timeline
Roussanne was planted in the 1870s in Sonoma, Napa and Santa Clara counties, most notably in Natoma Company's 121 ha/330-acre plot near Folsom.
The dual misfortunes of phylloxera and Prohibition dramatically reduced plantings in California. In 1927, the last Roussanne vines were pulled from the Natoma property.
U.C. Davis professors brought back hundreds of grape varieties from Europe, but these did not include Roussanne.
California winemaker Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard smuggled cuttings of Roussanne, reportedly from a vineyard in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Under California regulations, vines from outside the state are quarantined for a lengthy period which includes inspection for grape diseases and ampelographic identification at U.C. Davis. Grahm imported his cuttings in his suitcase and planted them at his vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where he began making a Rhône-style blend with Marsanne.
John Alban sourced other Roussanne clones from the Rhone, producing his first varietal Roussanne in 1991. Tablas Creek brought in Roussanne from ChâteauBeaucastel in 1989, but didn't plant any in the vineyard until 1994. Nearly all Roussanne cuttings in California, Washington and Oregon are descendants of those brought in by Alban or Tablas Creek.
Grahm sold some of his Roussanne cuttings to Sonoma Grapevine, one of the largest nurseries in the state. Sonoma Grapevine began to propagate the vines and sell them to wineries and other nurseries who, in turn, sold the Roussanne vines across the state. One of the wineries that bought these cuttings was California’s Caymus Vineyards, planting them in their Monterey vineyards.
John Alban of Alban Vineyards, while visiting Caymus’s Monterey property, noted that the plantings looked more like Viognier than Roussanne. As a result, samples were sent for DNA analysis, and the result proved that the plantings were indeed Viognier, as were all the vines that came from Grahm's original "Roussanne" vineyard.
The Rhone Rangers and Hospice du Rhône® organizations introduced and championed Rhône varieties, including Roussanne, in the U.S. The first large tasting of U.S. Roussannes, in 1998 at the Hospice du Rhône, was notable with Wine & Spirits magazine’s Patrick Comiskey describing the wines "as different as they were fascinating.”
USDA California Grape Acreage Report confirms 72 ha/177 acres of Roussanne planted in California (up from 18 ha/44 acres in 1997).
Roussanne plantings stood at 129 hectares/319 acres (127 hectares/314 acres bearing and 2.4 hectares/6 acres non-bearing) through year-end 2021, representing 0.07% of total vineyard plantings of all California wine grapes.
Roussanne arrived in the 1870s in Northern California but was not particularly well-suited to the needs of the day, i.e. easy growing grapes that produced immediately appealing wines. Acreage declined gradually, and the last vines were uprooted in 1927. A long fallow period ensued until the 1990s, when several producers, including John Alban, Bill Easton, and Tablas Creek, intrigued by Vieilles Vignes Roussanne from Château de Beaucastel, introduced new cuttings of Roussanne.