Ravensworth Marsanne 2006 Monday, Apr 2 2007
Tasting Notes and Australia and Canberra and Variety and White and other whites
I do like a nice marsanne and this is a very nice marsanne. I am not entirely sure that this particular style will have broad appeal but those of you who like white Rhone should move on this faster than the Mistral whistling up a Frenchman’s trouser leg…
Quite a rich golden colour. Aromas of dried apple, citrus, apricot and honeysuckle with a touch of spicy oak. On the palate full bodied with a lightly slippery glycerol texture coupled with some firmer phenolic characters. There are flavours of apple, apricot, lemon, spice, nuts, a little wood and some savoury characters. Plenty of power but beautifully controlled. Impressive length of flavour. Dry finish. Quite outstanding.
Rated : 93 Points
Tasted : Mar07
Alcohol : 13.8%
Price : $20
Drink : 2007 - 2017
Source : Winery Sample
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13 Responses to “Ravensworth Marsanne 2006”
April 3rd, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Gary, you got it right again. I drank this the other night with creamy pasta, pesto and tomatoes and all it lacked was some crab. sensational.
This wine deserves food - the winemaker (who is a food nut) recommends classic almond and chicken soup, which I think would be perfect.
April 4th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
To make this soup, if you’re interested:
Buy a large free-range chook, cut off the thighs and half backbone (leave breasts on the bone to roast in next step) make a stock of the these in the normal fashion, not too much onion though and include a splash of wine, when ready strain and reduce to 1/3 or about 1.5 cups of thick jellied stock when cooled.
Shell, blanch, peel and lightly roast 300g almonds in butter(or buy roasted almonds?), puree in blender and slowly add cool stock then 100ml of good cream, season and set aside, should be pretty thick but pourable.
Steam a few tablespoons of basmati rice and add to soup.
Paint your breasts with honey and butter, the chicken’s breast that is, and roast for 20 minutes in a very hot oven until just cooked, basting regularly, rest then slice of breasts, again I cannot emphasis enough, the chickens breasts, place in warm soup bowls and pour over hot soup.
Recipe from Nico Ladenis
April 4th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
I was at a party once with a girl who had painted breasts.
April 4th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Thanks Bryan. Even after a lunch of osso bucco with polenta, and a glass of Kay Bros Hillside shiraz, you have made me hungry again.
April 4th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Jules…
with honey and butter??
April 4th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I’m not sure. Unfortunately I was not allowed a taste. The texture, though, was quite sticky.
April 4th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Jules are you still going to ’swingers parties?’
How impressive was Garth with those beers the other night?!!!!
April 4th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Thanks Bryan - I looked for it on your website but couldn’t find it.
April 4th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Garth was a walking disaster!
April 7th, 2007 at 8:20 am
It should be www.ravensworthwines.com.au but is fairly basic I’m getting the whole thing updated with e-commerce, the problem with honey and butter is keeping them emulsified, which requires constant energy input or heat.
April 7th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Bryan or Gary - has this wine any viognier in it - I recall the 2005 had about 10%. Tasted blind I thought it was a viognier because of the lifted nose, and richness on the palate. A very good viognier at that because it wasn’t over the top with apricots etc. but had that lovely texture you get with rhone white varietals. So most impressed when the bottle was shown and it was a marsanne. A very impressive wine - could easily be picked as a Nthn Rhone white - that is one without the usual sulphur or other oxidative problems.
Cheers
Paul
April 7th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Yes there is still a bit of Viognier in the 2006, about 5% to keep the style of the 2005 (10%)which did pretty well for us, I don’t think it really needs it though, the cooler marsanne does have quite a bit of apricot anyway, i tend to see the ginger component as being Viognier poking its head out so to speak, that said i will keep this percent going until I see a reason to leave it out, next up will be to see how Rousanne goes up here, which I am planting this winter where Cabernet once stood.
June 5th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
had the 2005 last week. lovely quirky wine - don’t overchill it or you lose a lot of the aromatics. The extra year in bottle has brought more honey and almonds and less of the aprocit and citrus notes. Still some spiciness - unsure whether this is from the grape or still a bit of french oak. The palate has that lovely glycerine quality you often see in top quality nthn rhone whites but without the funk. it is filling out pretty quickly and I would drink over the next 2 years even with the screwcap. I like it a lot - far better and more interesting than many over priced chardonnays and it has a similar weight in the mouth.
Cheers
paul