Chances are you’ve never heard of it, but the Marselan grape, named after the small French coastal town where it was first grown, is making its way into the U.S. The grape has received some attention in Europe over the past few years and now that it has been cleared for U.S. wine labels, is expected to garner some interest in the states.Marselan is a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. Although the hybrid was created in 1961 by the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), the first wine was not produced and bottled until 2002. The grape is said to make hearty, medium bodied red wines. We say bring it on!
Not surprisingly, I have seen this grape blended with Rhone varietals in basic CdR bottlings as well as rosés. I do not recall the nose that it gives off, but I do recall the wines having an unexpected (but welcome)heft, relative to price. The only bottlings came from "Spirit of the Woodcock" which I believe is related to Mordorée somehow.
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