Introducing Le Professeur Marselan

Posted on 30th May 2023

Multi award-winning Wine Merchant, House of Townend, was established in 1906 in Yorkshire and has remained in the ownership of the Townend family for over 100 years.

For four generations they have built direct relationships with some of the finest wine producers in the world. Their buying emphasis lies firmly with the smaller, quality led, and often family owned, wine estates and domaines who possess like-minded philosophies.

Whilst the traditional wine producer is an important part of their portfolio, they work hard at being at the cutting edge of the wine world, seeking out the new star performers, ensuring they get into the supply chain before they become renowned and obtaining supplies becomes impossible. Wines from House of Townend are therefore individual and hand crafted, providing you with quality and great taste.

House of Townend is delighted to have added Le Professeur Marselan to their range.

The unusual Marselan grape was created in 1961 by Paul Truel, a leading ‘Ampleographer’ (Ampleography is the science of identifying, naming and classifying vines and grape varieties). Nowadays this is all done through DNA, but in Truel’s time, it was a highly skilled and scientific process. He was described as man of rigor, an insatiable researcher, untiring worker, endowed with a breath-taking memory and an unparalleled observer. The idea of him working away in the laboratory, combined with the test tubes, flasks and pipettes often seen at wineries gave us the idea of Le Professeur.

Hailing from Languedoc Roussilon, Le Professeur is produced for House of Townend by renowned winemaker, Xavier Roger. Mastering the nuances of Southern French varietals and combining traditional and modern winemaking techniques, Xavier Roger wines are a superb example of the quality that are now being produced in the South of France, using the best parcels in the area.

In order to make the perfect Marselan, the grapes are harvested when reaching the perfect level of ripeness. All the berries are destemmed to macerate at 5°C in an inert atmosphere to avoid oxidation and extract the subtle aromas and fine tannins. The wine is aged for 6 months in stainless steel tanks, on its fine lees. The Marselan is a rare and precious Mediterranean varietal, that express its outstanding potential on sun drenched and low-yielded terroirs, with rough soils made of gravel and pebbles.

Le Professeur Marselan is dark and intense with purple hues in the glass. The nose is perfectly spiced with hints of black pepper and violet with aromas of blackberry and cassis. This wine offers a rich and dense mouth feel, followed by concentrated flavours. The finish is long and juicy with subtle tannins. Enjoy this wine at room temperature, with beefsteak and French fries, or a hearty rustic bowl of pasta!

After sourcing the juice, House of Townend then contacted an artist based in Carcassonne, Sylvain Rouaud, who created this bespoke and hand drawn label. The perfect tribute to Paul Truel!

You can find this unique, and delicious wine at www.houseoftownend.com which offers outstanding value at £9.99 per bottle.