TN: 2008 Denner - Grenache (USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles)

WINE TALK
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2008 Denner Grenache - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (5/21/2014)
– decanted shortly before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over approx. 5 hours –
– 85% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Counoise –

NOSE: big/ripe red & purple fruits — moreso purple; some French oak; smells like it’s going to be big/monolithic/ripe/new world; alcoholic Tootsie Roll smell emerges after 4 hours.

BODY: full bodied; some sediment present; black-violet-garnet color of medium-deep depth.

TASTE: very ripe and oaky; 15.5% alc. is very noticeable on the palate and gums; big/modern; pleasant pepper note when paired with steak; no funk; no mineral; just ripe/big/lush fruit and soft oak; well-made, but boring; tiny leathery note on last sip from glass 3 hours after opening; tannins integrated; low to medium-low acidity; drink now.

B: 50, 5, 11, 13, 6 = (85 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Good to know I’m not alone, my friend :wink:

Cheers!

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You … ! [pillow-fight.gif] [rofl.gif]

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I just looked back at my TN for yours, Larry. Truth be told, I liked yours a little more — at the very least, I’d be more comfortable letting yours ride in the cellar for a couple years than I would with this Denner.

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I got interested in Denner more recently. I had a grenache of theirs recently, maybe a 2010 or 2011, and it was pretty different than what you describe. Ripe, but with very modest oak and good balance and good acids.

I don’t mention that to disagree with your assessment of that 2008, which I haven’t had, but I wonder if they have had a stylistic shift. For example, the 2012 Grenache, per their website, has the following specs:

Fermented 66% Whole Cluster. Aged for 14 months in 500L French oak Puncheons: 70% neutral,
30% once used.

Does anyone know if Denner’s approach has changed in recent years, maybe under their current winemaker, Anthony Yount (who started in 2009)? Or of course, it could just be that my tastes are different than Brian’s, and that’s fine as well.

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Just giving you a hard time, my friend! I’ve always dug your notes - straightforward and to the point. Just saw the similarities and wanted to comment . . .

My guess is that 2008, being a frost year in their area and therefore quite challenging viticulturally, led to wines that have fruit but not the level of ‘substance’ that previous and subsequent vintages do. And this will be more apparent on grenaches and grenache-based wines.

Cheers!

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Not sure of the answer to that, Chris, but my guess is yes - partly based on vintage differences and some based on stylistic differences. I think most winemakers have ‘dialed back’ since the heyday of 2004-2008 or so, and this is coming across in wines from throughout the state.

The proof will be in subsequent vintages - let’s see what '12 and '13 bring to the table - very different vintages that could easily have led to larger framed wines . . .

Cheers!

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I don’t know the answer to your question, Chris — sorry. But, what you describe gives me some renewed hope for Denner — if there was any whole cluster in this '08, I certainly couldn’t tell! For a while, it was the goal of Ron Denner (owner) to make a 100 point wine — that was Red Flags Everywhere, in my book, and when I placed that against a backdrop of increasing Paso prices and a slight-to-moderate palate shift, I decided it was time to move on from Denner. But, now, perhaps I’ll give them another shot.

and, Larry — I knew you were just joshin’ me! [pillow-fight.gif] [berserker.gif]

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Chris, the answer is certainly yes. Denner under the direction of Anthony has moved towards more whole cluster influence, less new oak, more concrete fermentation tanks and more overall balance. The Syrah uses some Bassetti (Cambria) fruit as well which helps add some balance and cold climate influence too. I did some barrel tastings with Paul, the assistant winemaker, a while back ago and was very impressed with their direction. The Grenache we had from concrete tank was fantastic with rose perfume and excellent texture.

Right now Ron doesn’t seem to be struggling to sell any wine and their Comus club has been chronically short on wine. They cut back dramatically on the fruit they sell so that they could increase future production. No reason for him to influence the style of the wine when they’re seemingly doing so well.

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Good stuff, Taylor. I always appreciate your posts.

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Pretty sure that Anthony took over as winemaker in 2009, so most of the winemaking decisions for that 2008 Grenache would have already been made (when to pick, how to ferment, what barrels to use, etc.) before he came on board. Don’t know whether the blend would have been made before or after he took over though.

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I don’t think Anthony made a conscious decision to dial it down, but in tastings we’ve had with him, he’s expressed that his goal is to make nuanced, balanced wines. Hey, we all like what we like. I’m a Denner fan.

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You’re always too kind Chris. Anthony and crew are doing some great things at Denner and I’m eager to try Anthony’s label for reds (I heard he bought some property on/near York Mountain). Stylistically they’re pretty much at my threshold of ripeness, but as you stated earlier they have good acids and most of all, good focus and clarity for their scale. I would recommend trying to barrel taste with Anthony or Paul if you can make it to Paso Robles some time. The 2013s should be excellent from what I’ve heard.

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Similar to Chris, I got interested in Denner last year when I visited the winery. I had the 2010 Grenache and it was ripe, fruit forward, with soft tannins and good overall balance. In fact, my brother which has a softer palate liked it…

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I was into Denner during the 2005 - 2007 vintages and found the Syrah, Grenache, Zin, and Dirt Worshipper to be absurdly overoaked and generally overblown. For some reason, the Ditch Digger of those vintages was fantastic and did not exhibit the same characteristics of the other wines. A real head-scratcher for me.