| Producer | Vangone |
| Country | United States |
| Region | California |
| Subregion | Napa Valley |
| Varietal | Marsanne |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Sku | 15326 |
| Size | 750ml |
A passion project for the owners, Vangone's 2021 Marsanne comes from two small blocks planted at meter-by-meter spacing and trained to single stakes, a la Hermitage or St. Péray. Barrel fermented and aged in demi-muids, the wine features gentle scents of lightly toasted bread, roasted marshmallows and grilled pears. It's medium-bodied, citrusy and refreshing, the oak limited to hints of pencil shavings on the finish. I've given just the early drinking window, as it's a new project with no real track record, but Marsanne from great terroirs in the Old World (and arguably the Nagambie Lakes of Australia) can age 20+ years, so who knows?
A relatively new project, located in eastern Oakville below Pritchard Hill, Vangone's proprietors—the Davidowski family—purchased the land in 2011, but some of the vines didn't go into the ground until as recently as 2019. The vineyard manager is Mario Bazan (ex-Mondavi, Stags Leap Wine Cellars), while winemaking is handled by Sam Kaplan (Arkenstone, Memento Mori, Vida Valiente).
Despite the vine's young age, these are exciting wines, showing impressive concentration, ripeness and harmony. The estate blend spends up to 30 months in barrel, just racked once after malolactic fermentation and once more for blending. In the realm of Napa Valley Cabernet economics, pricing seems surprisingly reasonable for the quality, but availability is limited to a few retailers and the mailing list.
I loved the 2021 Marsanne, a more elegant, medium-bodied example of the variety that has bright citrus, minty herbs, and some gravelly, mineral-like nuances. It should drink well for 4-6 years.
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