Grape variety
Marsanne
Marsanne, called Ermitage in Valais: the white grape of Hermitage and Saint-Joseph. Origin, kinship with Roussanne, its Valais role, style and food.
- Colour
- White
- Origin
- Northern Rhône; parent-offspring relationship with Roussanne, direction not established
- Main regions
- Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Saint-Péray; Valais; Victoria (Australia)
- Typical aromas
- White peach, pear, light spice; with maturity quince, honey, nut
- Classic pairing
- Poultry and sweetbreads in cream sauce, hard cheese, pumpkin soup; sweet with foie gras
- In Switzerland
- Ermitage in Valais: just under 40 hectares (2025), almost all of them there
Marsanne is the main white grape of the northern Rhône: full, gentle in acidity, discreet in aroma, but able to gain depth over the years. It comes from the Rhône valley and is closely related to Roussanne; DNA shows a parent-offspring relationship, without it being known which of the two is the parent. The two are therefore often planted and vinified together: Marsanne brings body and breadth, Roussanne more aroma and freshness.
On the Rhône, Marsanne is the most planted white grape of the Hermitage appellation, the hill above Tain-l’Hermitage, about 140 hectares devoted mostly to red Syrah. According to legend the name comes from a knight who returned wounded from the Albigensian Crusade in 1224 and lived as a hermit on the hill. The whites of Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and Saint-Joseph are made from Marsanne and Roussanne; in the reds small shares of the two are allowed, up to 15% in Hermitage and up to 10% in Saint-Joseph. In Saint-Péray the two make still and sparkling wines.
In the glass Marsanne gives a deep yellow wine, round and rich, with white peach, pear and a little spice, and an oily texture. With age it darkens, concentrates and develops quince, honey and nut. The vine needs warmth, but not too much: on a site that is too hot the wine turns flabby and heavy, on one that is too cool, bland.
In Switzerland Marsanne grows practically only in Valais, where it is called Ermitage. It came from the Rhône valley to Sion in the mid-19th century, around 1845 according to Swiss Wine Promotion, and kept the name of the famous hill. According to the federal statistics for 2025 there are just under 40 hectares of Marsanne in the country, almost all in Valais, and a few hectares of Roussanne. The late, vigorous variety needs good dry sites and strictly limited yields. Ermitage is dry or, in some vintages, sweet from late-picked grapes; it recalls honey, quince, apricot and raspberry liqueur, and ages well.
Outside the Rhône and Valais, Marsanne is found above all in Victoria in Australia, where it has grown since the 1860s. Dry Ermitage goes with poultry and sweetbreads in cream sauce, hard cheese and pumpkin soup; the sweet Valais version with foie gras. Valais Ermitage is served at 8 to 10 degrees.