Immensely tasty bottle thanks to @Justin_Bonner and his offering well below WS lows. With saffron rice, pretty neutral pork tenderloin, and whatever veggies needed to be cooked.
Had an immense nose upon opening. Wafts of rose and cranberry seemed to be pouring out of the bottle after being freed. That dissipated quickly; however, and as I poured those scents decreased in power significantly. My recent reading has suggested I should get raspberry from Grenache, but I do not get it much here. Perhaps a light layer? Good level of minerality that holds throughout the finish. Longer even than the fruit, does that mean I’m tasting reductive notes? In the simplest terms, the ending leaves an almost bitter quality behind. It’s not unpleasant, nor is it quite what I’d call bitter, but that is my best shot at describing the feeling on the tongue.
As an intermission, perhaps this is due to my uneducated palette, but it smelled reminiscent of a recent bottle of Les Bertrand Morgon. Well… I say that, but looking at my notes they aren’t described similarly at all. Not too sure why my brain connected the two bottles.
Back to it, the fruit notes are changing in prominence as it opens (up and down, increasing now after a bit over 3 hours). I’ll have about half a bottle to sample through the next few days, and I am curious what time will reveal. Wishing I’d bought more than one! My most recent point of comparison is another 2021 Grenacha that had similar notes – but all turned up by 50%. I really prefer the style of this vs that. This has way less fruit than the other bottle with many more things going on in the flavor department. Not bold, not obtrusive, and just what I wanted for this Friday evening.
As promised, that’s what I think Robert @Robert.A.Jr. Quite tasty and well within the sub $50 range. Would recommend as a nicer bottle for any younger people on here, or as a fun weeknight bottle for lawyers on vacation. I’ll buy more if I can find it! Hope you are enjoying your southern France experience. My only taste of that region was in November, and it was not particularly pleasant in the rain and cold.