Curran makes a nice grenache blanc

WINE TALK
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  • 2007 Curran Grenache Blanc - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (2/7/2010)
    Tasty. This had quite a bit going on, especially for $22 bottle of wine ($20 with with six-bottle discount at Albertson’s in Paso Robles). Overall it’s a pure, focused wine. A good match for food. The nose was white fruit and citrus. Some minerality. A nice acid tartness to the palate but not overwhelming. On the palate, honey and honey dew melon and some other tropiical flavors, but some nice spiciness. Glenn felt it was like tarragon. I get more generic southern Asian spices. Nice finish. Definitely punches above its weight, but a personal plea to Kris Curran: Please don’t raise the price.
  • 2004 Avanguardia Sangineto - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Nevada County (2/7/2010)
    This seems to be going downhill. When I first pulled the cork I got a lot of VA. By the time that blew off it was replaced with an overwhelming oakiness. I tasted this a few years ago at the winery and got none of this. It was a bit rustic when I had it before but that was gone as a Super Bowl Sunday wine. iI was tart so it accomplished its task of matching a spaghetti sauce. It’s a blend of three clones of sangiovese and a cabernet sauvignon-merlot cross called carmine. Nothing tasted like sangiovese. It was a generic red. This was made at the nearby Burch Hall in Grass Valley before the winemaker had his own winemaking facilities set up I believe the oak regimen changed when he started making it.
1 Like
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Steve,

Cris certainly does make a nice one for sure - and was really a trailblazer down here in doing so. The fruit for her 07 and earlier releases came from Camp 4, the Fess Parker Vineyard that is home to a lot of great fruit (yeah yeah, I KNOW I work for them, but I say it as I see it!).

I have not seen nor tried her 08, but it was the first year, IIRC, that she started getting from from elsewhere, and in 09, she did not get any fruit from Camp 4 . . .

For other takes on the variety down here, search out Epiphany (sister label to Fess Parker) - I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!!!

Cheers!

3

I drank a handful of the Curran grenache blancs in Dec/Jan and agree that it is quite a nice wine…I got mine for $15 at 15 Degrees C in Templeton (bout ten min from the Paso Albertsons, Steve)



here is my note from Dec:

2007 Curran Grenache Blanc (USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley) 12/8/2009
4+12+16+7+50 = 89 - Excellent
clean, clear, pale yellow color…lemon, grapefruit and melon on the nose…more citrus on the palate, along with a strong pineapple flavor…the wine has a crisp acidity, but also decent heft/bod

4

Larry:
I’ve had your grenache blanc and I liked it. What did you guys do to piss off Curran?
[wink.gif]

5

Steve,

Thanks for the complements . . .

As far as Cris Curran goes, I think she just found ‘different’ vineyard sources that she is happy with. Of course, you would never know that she even used Camp 4 fruit unless someone like me mentioned it - no where to be seen on here label IIRC . . .

Cheers!

6

Thanks for the note! I had this a couple of times in the past year at McPhee’s in Avila, and agree that this is a very nice wine, well worth searching out

7

Curran is one of my favorite producers of Grenache Blanc from the Central Coast.