Wine of the Week: Iapetus 2022 Subduction

January 21, 2025: Vermont may not be where Marquette grape was born, but it just might be where it's happiest.

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Marquette may have been developed at the University of Minnesota, but with few exceptions, my favorite examples always come from Vermont. Maybe it’s something in the Green Mountain State’s soils, or maybe it’s the deft, lower-touch approach of its winemakers, but Vermont Marquette stands out among examples grown and vinified in other colder climes.

Shelburne Vineyard winemaker Ethan Joseph can always be counted on to make interesting, delicious Marquette-based wines, both under the vineyard’s primary label or his personal one, Iapetus, which is now a part of the Shelburne portfolio.

Iapetus 2022 Subduction ($30*) smells fruity at first, with strawberry preserves, blueberry compote, and plums up front and subtle notes of black pepper spice and dried earth at the edges.

Fuller-bodied, the palate is a bit more plummy, with the strawberry and blueberry notes taking a step back. It’s fresh feeling, but also has some gently grippy skin tannins framing all of that fruit. With time in the glass, some layers of earthy dried leaves and spice emerge too. What really pushed this wine to the top during a recent tasting was a light-but-distinct savory herbal note at the end of a medium-long finish — which inspired me to write “cab franc lover’s Marquette” in my notebook.

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Iapetus 2022 Subduction
Region: Vermont
Grape(s): 100% marquette
ABV: 14%
RS: 0%
pH: 3.6
Winemaking: 36% whole cluster fermentation, eight weeks on skins, aged in neutral oak
Production: 380 cases
Rating: 91 pts
Price: $30* (Available Here)

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*Sample Provided by Winery