I’m perhaps even more of a hater. I find it’s charms all too often are superficial and that it’s place in a blend is often for accessibility “a bit of juicy fruit to help soften the impact”.
Pure Grenache can be done well and can be decent value, but perhaps Gigondas is the only region where I’ve had anywhere near a decent success rate with Grenache-led wines.
Robt - there are more.
Just off the top, for CDP you have Rayas, Clos des Papes, Sabon, Usseglio, Tardieu Laurent, all make 90-100% Grenache bottlings, and there are others - Pierre Henri Morel had a project with Chapoutier where they did a blend of Grenache from different plots called Lieu Dit Pignan.
And then there are countless CdRs and other wines from the south.
In WA there are a few but they’re not easy to find - Cayuse, Syncline, K Vinters, Betz, Novelty Hill, McCrea and Maison Blue come to mind. I’m sure there are many others but those are the only ones I can think of at the moment.
In CA there are many, but also not all that easy to find - you really kind of have to look. Most seem to be rather small production - Zaca Mesa, Unti, Alban, Beckmen, Qupe, SQN, Twisted Oak, Tercero (who knew?), Stolpman, and probably dozens more that I don’t know and have never tried. Larry may be able to help us out here!
And of course you have Australia, where there are just countless bottlings. Several from bottlings from Clarendon alone, and then Torbreck, Kilikanoon, and not expensive but nice - Yangarra, Turkey Flat and Yalumba, among dozens of others.
Then in Spain, which is the home of Grenache, there are just too many to count but near the top end would be the Alto Moncoyo bottlings - their mid range and the Acquilon, from Priorat is Clos Erasmus and Scala Dei, there’s a then relatively new intro from Valserrano in Rioja, and from elsewhere things like Bodegas Atteca, and several around Calatayud and other regions near the southeast.
And of course there’s the odd one from somewhere like Sardinia that is just never very good.
Those are just scratching the surface but before talking about added complexity and backbone, they’re a start! Let’s put together a tasting. It’s been over a year since I did this tasting. We can pick 3 or 4 from each of several countries and definitely mix in a few lower-priced bottlings and taste them all blind.
To Ian’s point about Gigondas - any to recommend? I’ve been utterly disappointed with the aging curve on the few I’ve tried.
Matter of fact, I pretty much disagree with the idea of aging these wines at all, but I’ve said that before and other people don’t feel the same.
Greg
For ageing - Dom Du Cayron. Not 100% Grenache, but it’s definitely the majority of the blend. Can be a bit rugged, but I’ve had some of interest at the 10-15 year mark. Can also be a little stinky (not Brettcastel stinky mind) which is useful complexity to my palate.
regards
Ian
Never have been a CdR guy, which is a part of the basis my lack of love for Grenache.
The best CA examples I’ve had are Jaffurs (great nose), and Villa Creek. Didn’t love them though.
You gotta age s good Grenache . . .just as you have to age a nice Burg, right? Why should one be given the ‘benefit of the doubt’ while the other shouldn’t?
Ask those who drink Rayas or classic Aussie Grenaches when they begin to shine and it is after a number of years in bottle . . .
Riper Grenaches certainly offer more ‘immediate gratification’ because of their relative simplicity and lighter structure. But that one style does not define the variety . . .yep, that’s what I’m trying to say 
Cheers!
AND some of my favorite wines ever have been old world CdPs and Grenaches - and based on reading some reviewers notes recently, I’m not the only one to have noticed an aromatic similarity between these and aged Burgs . . .
Always interesting how palates differ - Grenache is easily one of my favorite varieties. I’m not entirely sure it’s a fair distinction to contrast it as a varietal wine and as a primary component in a wine, I think it’s wonderful grape with plenty of character and distinction. Just like any other variety, there’s a requisite for proper viticulture and site selection for it perform well, but that’s similar for any other great wine. I think the vast amounts of affordable Grenache suggests that it’s not a serious variety, but I don’t think that’s true. Some of the things I admire about Grenache are the visceral appeal of the aromatics and the ability to show vast amounts of volume and density on the palate while maintaining its structure.
Scott, judging from your Cellartracker notes, you really enjoyed the 2010 Denner Ditch Digger. I can tell you that some of the individual Grenache components that went into recent vintages is pretty knockout stuff. The 2012 Denner Cirrus might be a bit tough to track down, but it might be worth exploring. Perhaps you should check out the 2012 Tablas Creek Grenache - it’s intensely primary and may be the most primary Tablas Creek I’ve yet had, but texturally it’s a pretty stunning wine for its price.
Like every Grenache I’ve ever had, it has a tinny medicinal aftertaste that just doesn’t do it for me.
Right up there with “I don’t get Bordeaux”, “I don’t get Burgundy” and “I don’t get Barolo/Italian wine” is this one. Oh yeah, “I don’t get Petite Sirah” too. Your comment makes me wonder how many CA grenaches you’ve had, assuming you meant domestic grenache in the first place. If you’ve tasted a lot of CA grenache, you would see that there is nothing in common between an SQN or Alban and a Qupe. Larry (Schaffer) knows tons more than I do, but I would add that yeah, the less ripe ones tend to emphasize a certain grenache characteristic that I would call “herbal raspberry” but you might call metallic and medicinal. There have been many similar threads in the past about the challenges of making kick-ass grenache in California. I feel that for better or worse, there has been precious little progress over the last ten years. Great ones happen here and there. The only way to be consistent is to shoot for the huge style or to be John Alban or both. Alban Grenaches need a ton of time to show their charms and in youth are brutally big and often acidic/tannic as well. Larry expresses all the problems. Even if you have a great clone and site and a great vineyard manager, you are still at the mercy of weather. As Tom Hill says about Petite, you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a Prince(ss).
Does anyone grow Grenache in the Santa Cruz Mts AVA? This just seems like an ideal place for it.
Count me as one who does not (generally) care for Grenache. Remember, I have no palate, I like Burgundy. 
The Santa Cruz Mountains is a pretty cool climate and Grenache is without a doubt a warm climate grape. Big Basin makes some Rhone varieties but I believe the Grenache comes from the Gabilan mountains which are east of Monterey. (Not SCM). There’s several Syrah sites in the SCM but the greatest examples of varietal Syrah are from cooler sites like the Northern Rhone.
Certainly by traditional definitions and perhaps before climate change/global warming but I would contend this is no longer a truism and in any way.
Big Basin and Zayante Vineyards both have Grenache. SCM ca be toughin cooler years because of mildew issues and early rains, and in years with late spring rains because of a heavier crop. The ideal location for Grenache, in my opinion, is Chalone, but there is tragically little up there and the vines are quite young. Amazing, though.
We planted GRE in 2001 at Eaglepoint on a quad system. When I left in 2011 I think we were starting to get a handle on it. I have not had the 2010 or 2011 from Eno Wines, but I’ve heard from Sasha and Ken Zinns that they are very good.
I find it to be a warm weather grape that usually needs to be thinned heavily on most years. Most years we would take 50-60% of the fruit off to get it at 4 tons/acre. On the years it would shatter, we wouldn’t have to adjust that much. I liked it on a quad so that it had just a bit of protection from bleaching.
I think there’s never been a grape calling for a co-fermentation partner like GRE does. SYR fills in all of the gaps that GRE doesn’t have. Be it at 10-15% or 50-50 the SYR gives it the depth and texture that it needs.
When I made it on the ripe side I remember the smell at fermentation of cotton candy/bubble gum that was off the hook. At release my wine was almost Pinot like in structure. I always thought of chocolate cover cherries while drinking it.
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My dear friend Larry has tried and tried to convert me with some of his (admittedly quite well made) Tercero product. So far no dice, but I will keep trying
My problem is the sweet/syrupy strawberry-and-herbs combination that I find in many of them that just doesn’t ring my bell. Older CdP has been enjoyable for me, and I mean 30 years old. And Rayas, the one bottle I’ve had, was great. But not much else…so far…
Just had a 2007 Quivira Grenache this weekend. Heady nose of raspberry, cherry and kirsch. Full-bodied cherry on the palate - very balanced with a slight bit of traction on the end. Very enjoyable. I think 7-8 years is a sweet spot for this particular bottling.
For you Jemrose lovers, lastbottle has their 2010 Grenache up right now . . .
Cheers!
So Larry, any idea if grenache is less prone to the various ails you speak of in France? There must be some reason for the heavy role of grenache throughout much of southern France. I guess I have my own opinion-that in addition to perfect climate there is perfect soil for grenache in much of France. Though much of it may not be mindblowing, I would say that most of it is very good and without the hollow, candy cotton and rhubarb I get from mediocre Calif grenache.
Mitch,
Interesting question - and one that I don’t think is that easy to answer. I do believe it is probably ‘handled’ differently over there than it is here - less new oak, probably not picked quite as ripe there as it is here, perhaps different clones.
That said, as I mentioned previously, there are plenty of great grenaches now being produced that do not have the characteristics you’ve mentioned. One way the ‘hollowness’ you speak of is handled is to blend in syrah or something else; I choose to ‘handle’ this by including a good dose of whole clusters. The other characteristics, to me, tend to speak towards overly-ripe warmer climate versions of the variety, and, yes, you will certainly still find them out there. And yes, they may even be ‘the norm’. Guess some ‘searching’ may need to be in order to find those that don’t follow that path . . .
Cheers!
Recently took a bottle of the 2010 Tercero Camp 4 Grenache to the office. Late one Friday we opened several bottles of wine, and this was the winner of the evening.