Powell & Son Barossa Valley Roussanne Marsanne 2017
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James
Suckling -
Wilfred
Wong
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The Roussanne Marsanne shows notes of butterscotch, honeyed citrus, stone fruit, white florals, and apricot kernel. The palate shows creamy phenolic texture, though not in the slightest part oily. flavors of stone fruit and honey abound with light lemony acid to maintain the long finish. The wine finishes with white peach and subtle savory ham hock, with persistent phenolics driving to the end of the palate.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A rich and layered white with lots of dried-lemon and papaya character. Deep and oily. Full-bodied and flavorful. Fasten your seat belts. Goes. Drink now. Screw cap.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Powell & Son Roussanne Marsanne is a spell bounding wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine is unique unto itself. Its aromas and flavors of mineral, tart citrus, and even a note of flowers make it enticing to any enophile. Pair it with Dungeness Crab over wild salad greens. (Tasted: September 10, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.