Marsanne, you don't have to put on the red light

Marsanne 2007 Crozes-Hermitage (Rhône) – Really, that’s the guy’s name. This, however, is a red. As a cooperative Crozes, it’s not bad: baked-out fruit with some roasted peanuts and a warming comfort suffusing the whole thing. It’s pleasant. But it’s not a cooperative Crozes, which makes it about twice as expensive as it should be based on the quality. I’d say ambitions were not met here, but I suspect ambitions (or their lack) are part of the problem. (8/11)

Tah for now

Tahbilk 1999 Marsanne (Central Victoria) – Honey, but more verdant than that. Honeysuckle might be more accurate. Rich peach flavors, well-spiced, rest over a foundation of clay. Nice early maturity, though there’s no hurry. Quite appealing. (3/05)

A plea for marsanne-ity

Tahbilk 2006 Marsanne (Victoria) – Friendly, appealing yellow fruit. Simple and clean, with fair acidity and not much in the way of additional interest, but definitely quaffable. (1/09)

Do you know the way to Monteillet?

Montez “Domaine du Monteillet” 2000 St-Joseph Blanc (Rhône) – The initial impression is mostly wood, or at least so it seems, but with air there’s vaguely spicy baked-yellow earth, well-aged stone fruit, and a gently vibrating wave structure. Nicer than I’d thought it would be given its overwhelmingly arboreal youth, but it would have been better still with a little more restraint in the cellar. (8/08)