With a career spanning five continents and over three decades, Marcus Ansems MW takes a rebellious yet tradition-rooted approach to winemaking. His winemaking philosophy is rooted in small-lot production and total mechanical engagement from vine to bottle. He divides each site into micro-parcels that are hand-picked into small crates and sorted by hand on elevated tables. Whole clusters are fed by gravity into a traditional basket press, whose screw he operates manually, allowing to modulate pressure gently and avoid over-extraction of phenolics. During fermentation, Marcus performs all punch-downs by hand using a wooden lever, monitoring cap resistance directly and adjusting frequency to each lot’s texture. When it comes time to separate wine from solids, he favours gravity flow, reinforcing his belief that every mechanical intervention should be simple, tactile, and aimed solely at preserving site expression.
The practice of fermenting Syrah and Viognier together in the same vat goes back to the Côte Rôtie appellation in France’s northern Rhône, where regulations permit up to 20 percent Viognier and mandate its simultaneous fermentation with Syrah. This co-fermentation creates unique chemical and sensory interactions during alcoholic fermentation. Aromatic compounds in Viognier bind with Syrah’s anthocyanins through co-pigmentation, stabilizing and intensifying the red colour, while terpenes from Viognier accentuate floral aromatics in the finished wine. Because both varieties ferment together rather than being blended after fermentation, the resulting wine displays an integrated profile of Syrah’s structure and Viognier’s perfume that cannot be replicated by post-fermentation blending.
Tasting Note
Viognier’s subtle influence lifts the wine with delicate notes of violet and honeysuckle, complemented by peppercorn, prosciutto, and blackberries from Syrah. The wine spent 10 months in predominantly older French barriques, allowing the spicy, high-toned, savoury qualities to shine.
Food Pairing
Pairs beautifully with rich, savory dishes like herb-butter ribeye or wild mushroom risotto