Tried board member Ian Brand’s Le P’tit Paysan Le P’tit Pape 2016 blend. Bought it a K&L. 65% Grenache, 26% Syrah, 7% Mourvedre, 2% Cunoise.
Dark fruits, but not in an overextended or jammy way. Extremely well balanced - it keeps it’s coating all the way through, with no dips. A little hotness on the nose, but that was not there on taste. Medium bodied. Lovely wine. 
Sounds interesting. Where’s the fruit from?
Agreed on this wine. Good stuff.
The La Marea Albariño Ian makes is great as well.
“Central Coast”. He’s centered in Monterey, but also gets fruit from San Benito, Santa Clara Valley and a bit from the Santa Cruz Mountains. I’d expect this to be multiple sources. What matters to me is his winemaking sensibility is spot on for my preferences. Focused, vibrant aromatics, wonderfully complex and site/region expressive. (No amateurish reliance on crutches like late picking and oak here.) Have followed him from the start and haven’t had any duds. So, if you want to try something of his, just look for one that sounds interesting to you.
My favs were always the Albariño and the Petit Syrah. Recently opened the 2011 and 2012 PS side by side and both are still going strong. Highly recommend.
Agree with Wes, Ian really is a great winemaker and does a great job sourcing fruit in our area.
Yes he is!
+1
Hard to miss with any of Ian’s wines.
I really appreciate all the kind words and support.
For those that don’t know the spiel, we started P’tit Paysan to make village wines in California, the kinds of wines that we consume in volume from the old world but that, for whatever reason, California has struggled to do consistently well. We chose to do it in the Monterey Bay area as the soils, climate, availability of grapes and proximity to the ocean lined up here more than anywhere else. It’s amazing that Monterey County has the second most grape acreage in the state, and only 50 wineries. The P’tit Pape started in 2010. It’s ranged between 50 and 70 percent Grenache. We’re of the opinion that Grenache is the red grape that should be the workhorse of the central coast and we bottle a few single vineyard versions under our I. Brand & Family label. The 2016 comes from 5 vineyards with varied climates, and is fermented in something like 12 different lots. Whole cluster is around 33%, most of the lots are done spontaneous. No acid adds or fining. Soils on all vineyards, like most things around here that we’ll pick from, are either calcareous or granitic. Used and neutral barrels, some concrete aging for a while, blended after 11 months and returned to barrel. Bottled in the winter. Another year in bottle before release.
We work hard to make wines that provide a distinct sense of place, pleasure and extremely good value across our three brands. It feels great when that’s recognized. Thank you all. I was in a pissy pre-harvest mood (happens every year) and this is a happy little ray of light. Back to work!!!
Ian, do you get any SLH Grenache? We tasted the first Roar Sierra Mar (half barrel from '16) at bottling and it was amazing! Sure, that’s a snapshot and no guarantee how it’ll age, but amazing as in on par with the very best wines out of SLH, and as good, for me, as any Grenache I’ve had. Seemed like the perfect match of grape and site. CT only shows a few producers of varietal SLH Grenache. Should be more of it.
Wes,
I don’t. Grenache works great in a variety of sites across the central coast in different ways, but I’ve been reticent about SLH grenache because of the richness of soils there and age of grenache vines there. Looks like I was wrong about that, and it’s not the first time I’ve been wrong (it’s the second). I have to say I’m very impressed with the recent direction of Roar, and very happy that they chose to move back in county.
I know that Odonata does SLH grenache. I haven’t heard of anybody else.
If you haven’t checked out our Brosseau Grenache, I’d like to compare the wines from different sides of the valley. Chalone, to me, is a top rate terroir that screams Grenache.
Ian
Haven’t had yours, but some of my friends (Flywheel, Sandler, Betwixt) make good ones exactly to their preferences from there. I have a love-hate relation with the grape. Exactly what Ed loves is what I don’t. We did a pretty good one-off from Arroyo Seco (Cedar Lane) back in '14. Should probably check on a bottle sometime… Quite a contrast, with the same sort of minerality that makes the whites from there so great.
Quite a region down there.
For sure, vast, varied, rocky, sunny and windy. Maybe the longest growing season in the world. The Grenaches in the lower Arroyo Seco and vicinity ripen so late. Ventana has some near 50 year old vines that have made excellent Grenaches over the years. Bonny Doon has a good block up in the hills above Greenfield in the chock rock that does well. Mesa del Sol has a half acre that gives excellent results.
In my experience, Pinot makers struggle with Grenache because, though there are similarities in the resultant wines, the way you have to come at it is totally divergent. Grenache is a country grape and you have to actively not select. Stems, raisins, under ripe grapes… you want anything that isn’t bunch rot or completely sour. Both Bonny Doon and Birichino have worked with drying a portion of their grenaches to favorable results. If you try to get grenache too uniform, it’s pretty monochromatic. And in this region, balance-wise, you need to think of it almost like a white grape or rose, capturing the crisp fruit, salinity and minerality. I used to think that it makes a nice wine but it would never age, but my 11s and 12s are still going strong, and the Brosseau evolves beautifully in bottle, deepening, darkening and becoming more intense. Pretty wild stuff to play with.
I’d be interested to check out the 14 Cedar Lane. I’ve only made rose out of the Grenache on that vineyard.
Ian…do you have an agent in Canada.
Bob,
I have no agent in Canada. I’ve talked to a few, but there’s been no love connection.
Ian