2010, close!
Hmmm…not sure, as I love good Priorat.
Except that is rarely pure Garnacha. Daphne Glorian is the only one I know of who’s moving in that direction. Otherwise it’s blended with Cab, Tempranillo, Syrah, Carinena or something else.
The pure stuff can be wonderful IMHO, from many places. I haven’t found a lot from the US yet but I had one two nights ago that was just great and I’m sure there will be increasing numbers. Australia too can make some really wonderful versions. About once or twice a year we do a tasting of around the world versions, and always try to include at least three CdPs that are predominantly Grenache. They never do very well unfortunately.
It also makes a great rosado.
It’s one of my favorite grapes.
But then so is Syrah, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Blaufrankisch, Cab and a few more. Then there are the whites.
Actually that’s where the grape fails. Garnacha blanca is OK but so far never brilliant.
Gotta disagree about Garnacha blanca, my friend . . .especially domestic ones! Try ones from Kinero, Kris Curran, Shane, and a few others . . .
Just did a Grenache tasting with SB County Grenache - about 30 of them. Some just okay stuff, but Kaena, Beckmen, Qupe, and Larner are doing some very nice examples that you should search out . . .
I was loving a Domaine la Garenciere Seguret tonight. Nothing metallic there. Just oodles of fruit with a lot of tannin to hold it up.
In California, Unti has really hit its stride with Grenache now.
There is also some guy at Tercero making a really good Grenache too! 
Two domestic producers helped me understand Grenache as a stand alone wine.
A tribute to grace- Angela Osbournenis passionate about Grenache. Her offerings are clean & pure. I never get the Robutussin finish.
Rotie Cellars- “Little G”- Rounder than Angela’s wines. A bit more herbal/floral than Tribute to Grace, but again very pure.
Neither are particularly structured, but often times that’s what the blends are for.
Just did a Grenache tasting with SB County Grenache - about 30 of them. So okay stuff, but Kaena, Beckmen, Qupe, and Larner are doing some very nice examples that you should search out . . .
Not Garnacha Blanca!
Had those, albeit not the current vintages. Qupe has been one of my fave Syrahs for years but they never quite got it with their Grenache. Still, it’s something CA should excel in and they’re better and better.
+2
I rarely drink it these days.
If it ain’t Rayas, I ain’t interested…
Both Edmunds St. John and Unti produce very nice whites of roughly half and half vermentino and grenache blanc.
Scott, people focused on “metallic,” but I focused on “medicinal” in your op. To me Grenache tends strongly towards medicinal if it is too ripe. The only ones I seem to like are things like off year southern rhones with a bit of age. Think Gigondas or Vacqueras from a year that was not broiling. Even then, I’m unlikely to buy anymore, expecting overripeness from most of the southern Rhone. We had a 2009 Vieux telegramme the other day. I thought that even in a warm year the second wine would be less hot, but I was wrong. Stewed and medicinal.
Texier’s basic CdR is, I think, entirely grenache. I’ve found it very good when it’s very young and drank a lot of '10 and '11, but it too seemed to get bitter and medicinal with some age.
Actually, it’s 15%-20% white grapes! I think the rest is mainly grenache now, but it hasn’t always been. His website lists it at only 50% grenache with cinsault, carignane plus the white grapes. But I think that’s out of date and neither of his importer/distributors give a more detailed breakdown. (There’s no English translation of this part of the site.)
I’ve never aged them, but I find the idea that they’d become bitter and medicinal very surprising, as they tend to be quite light and not at all overripe.
If you don’t like it, then stay far, far away. Too many grapes in this world to drink one you don’t like. If you see a grenache coming down the street, quickly walk on the other side, and avoid eye-contact.
Thanks John. I dont know where I got the idea that it was all grenache. In any case, I bought a good deal of '10 and '11 and thought they were great when young, primary and fresh but grew bitter with time. I also thought that it was odd but I drank up the remaining bottles quickly rather than waiting to see what would happen.
Yep, their Grenache has never been anywhere near the quality if their syrahs. And the new one I tasted, from their Sawyer Lindquist Vyd in Arroyo Grande, across the street from Alban, was nice - if you like your a grenache with some oak on it . . .
This is not a variety that is easy to make - you can’t just pick by numbers; it is prone to getting ripe quick like zin; the skins bleach if exposed to direct sunlight; the clusters tend to shatter easily; the vines always want to throw large crops; the clusters have wings that should be trimmed but are not always trimmed; and the variety is prone to oxidation . . .
But it is a variety that, when done well, magical. Aromatically, it wears its sense of place and vintage on its sleeve. One of the challenges is to allow this to happen, to not have it oxidize and not throw new oak at it and not have it get overly ripe but ripe enough so that the skins soften . . .
I really think it is an exciting time for domestic Grenaches and can’t wait to see what the next few years hold.
Cheers!
We are all anxiously waiting!
Maybe one of the problems is that because it grows nicely in the sun and it produces well and it’s not overly tannic, people in the past didn’t thing it was as “serious” as something you couldn’t approach for a while. Just speculation of course, but it’s all over Spain and the south of France and makes nice rosado or easy-drinking cafe wine and then of course Parker loves it so as people have set themselves up in opposition to him, it’s tainted as it were.
But done well it really makes an enjoyable wine. I don’t see how it benefits all that much from oak, although even with that there are a few like Aquilon from Spain or Mon Aieul from France that work sometimes. But something aged in old oak or concrete, like Sabon’s Prestige, or many inexpensive ones from the S. France seems the way to go.
Greg,
Great comments, and I certainly understand your feeling that Grenache usually makes a lighter style wine. But that’s not always the case and doesn’t have to be.
A few things that are changing the resultant weight of Grenaches these days are crop thinning, planting in cooler climates where pHs are lower, and the use of whole clusters.
Cheers!
Agree with the “not as serious” comment, and at least for me, the finished wine usually confirms that for me. I’ve enjoyed the odd Spanish Garnacha, which are no doubt some of the best value reds in the business, and of course in CdP’s, however I tend to look for CdP with some Mourvedre and Syrah for added complexity and backbone. Still need to try Rayas though.
Agree with Larry, it’s still a variety that we are by and large learning on this side of the pond, and it is not an easy make. Siting is absolutely critical with Grenache, as it can err to the too medicinal and tannic in some situations, and too vigorous in healthy soils. We decided that it is the ‘honey badger’ of varieties last year. When everything else was suffering mightily through the drought in the dry Gabilan Mountains, it became apparent that Grenache don’t care. Learning to grow and make it has been a process, both with convincing some growers to drop 60% of the crop, and others to leave their VSP shaggy (emulating more of a head trained vineyard), and managing the fruit in the winery is a whole other story. The variety shows all of its bones almost like a white wine, but can have pretty oppressive tannins as well – making it well is really threading the needle. Still, I’ve come to believe that this is the red variety that should dominate a lot of the central coast. We will be releasing our third vineyard designate Grenache in 2014, and we bring in five total grenache vineyards into the winery and are looking for more quality sites. I’m certain that in a couple of years you will look back on this thread with a little bit of perspective… remember when the rub was Pinot was so hard to make? It just takes time to figure these things out.