Thanks to everyone who contributed to the event - I enjoyed the opportunity to join in the tasting and conversation. Loved the blind format, and Brandon did a great job hosting.
A few additional thoughts:
Overall, there were many wines I enjoyed and I’d be happy to drink again. I don’t generally drink a lot of Grenache (or Cdp, Gigondas, etc.) but it’s a wine I can see me drinking more of, even if I don’t think any of the wines blew my mind or screamed “must have again real soon”.
Although I supported the all-blind, three groupings of 6 random wines, I think I’d agree with you Brandon that (totally in hindsight, of course) it might have been more interesting to group similarly styled wines together. The meaty and/or funky flavors definitely stood out in the flights, and those ended up being the ones I generally ranked higher in their respective flights. Had we not done that, however, I think I might have had some other wines ranked higher.
After a few whites and the first twelve reds, I’ll admit that my palate was definitely showing signs of fatigue by the third flight, this despite lots of spitting and intermittent bites of food. (Thank you, Chris for the sliders!) I have no idea how pros can do 30, 50, or 100+ wines in a sitting.
Some of my rankings: First flight,top three: 1) 2005 Vieux Donjon, 2) 2010 GOK, 3) 2010 Rotie G Second flight, top three: 1) 2009 No Girls, 2) 2010 Kerloo Alder Ridge, and 3) 2011 Gramercy Alder Ridge. Third flight, top three: 1) 2011 Keplinger Caldera, 2) 2011 No Girls, 3) 2013 Ocelli Columbia Valley. Again, I’m not sure how much I trust my own palate here on flight 3, given some fatigue, and I could see me rating things differently on another day, but hey, that’s part of the fun of blind tasting.
Thanks for all of the additional information, all.
‘Stupid’ question - but what would happen if someone held an ‘Oregon Pinot’ tasting and many of the wines were not 100% Pinot?
It’s interesting that whenever there is a Grenache or Mourvedre tasting, the majority of the wines are not 100% that variety (or even 90% in most cases) . . .
Just an observation. It does make it ‘challenging’ to truly compare and contrast when you are dealing with ‘apples and oranges’ so to speak.
Apples and Oranges Larry I say. If you have a Grenache tasting, including commonly blended varietals (GSMs & CdPs) seems fair enough. I took issue however with including a Mourvedre/Cab blend. To me that didn’t seem fair, like having a Syrah taste-off and throwing in a Buty Phinny Hill Columbia Rediviva as a competitor.
Apples and Oranges Larry I say. If you have a Grenache tasting, including commonly blended varietals (GSMs & CdPs) seems fair enough. I took issue however with including a Mourvedre/Cab blend. To me that didn’t seem fair, like having a Syrah taste-off and throwing in a Buty Phinny Hill Columbia Rediviva as a competitor.
I agree with this. I’d add that La Rata is also an “outlier”, and my palate pretty clearly saw a difference in both the Keplinger and La Rata as “not Grenache”. We all knew there were ringers as well as La Rata in the line up ahead of time, so no biggie.
Of the others it looks like 11 out of 16 are 100% Grenache, and to me, the small blends into Grenache for CdP or others might be more akin to doing a Syrah tasting and some of the wines include Viognier or another co-fermenter. Normal to the breed per se.
Fair enough - but you get my point about comparing this to a pinot tasting, right?
I know that many winemakers feel that Grenache just does not make an ‘interesting’ stand-alone grape because it ‘lacks something’ that these other varieties ‘add’, but I disagree . . .
I concur Larry. Even 5-10% Syrah blended into Grenache will change the profile pretty dramatically. Adding 40% Cab (as in La Rata) would certainly make an interesting wine, but VERY different from 100% Grenache. For me, Pinot noir and Grenache are the two varieties that should be left as they are since they are so susceptible to influence from other grapes.
Strangely the biggest takeaway for me was that when presented with it repeatedly, I’m not as in love with Christope Baron’s style as much as I thought I was. I felt like most of the Rocks wines tasted more same-y than I expected them to, and very syrah-like. I do enjoy a Cayuse, etc. now and again, but I think this was revealing to me that I don’t need to buy super deep and just keep a small amount around for when the feeling strikes me. Good for the bank account!
I really dig Grenache, but one of the ‘challenges’ is ‘defining’ this variety. Based on your comments about the Grenaches coming out of The Rocks area, whether they are 100% or not, it appears that these are made in a ‘bigger and bolder’ style - but still Grenache. What is the oak treatment on these wines?
The purity of grenache can truly be ‘haunting’ - have a Rayas or Pignan and there is a dichotomy of beautiful ‘lightness’ but so much depth and complexity. Yes, it is difficult to get even close to this, but that certainly drives me to work with it.
Hopefully more folks will ‘discover’ the variety and ‘push’ for more subtleness and ‘nakedness’ - less or zero blending of other varieties; no new oak . . .
Not a stupid question, but possibly a bit nit-picky?
I think using Pinot is a bit of a as well. Who blends Pinot? Not since Grenache was banned in burgundy…
Grenache has historically been a commonly blended varietal. How many 100% grenache CdP are there besides Rayas? I know there are a few more, but not many. I think single varietal grenache is a bit of a newer phenomenon in general.
You are correct in that there are very few in CdP at all - but there are certainly plenty of them in Australia and Spain, and have been for quite some time.
And yes, it is a bit of a straw man argument, but I think a valid one - just because it is ‘not normally’ done does not mean it should not be, right?
FWIW my favorite domestic producers of (predominantly) Grenache are Cayuse and Sine Qua Non. From Chateauneuf, Bonneau and Rayas.
Surprised that Usseglio Mon Aieul did not show well. I would think there must have been a problem with the bottle.
DoctorJay
Larry, you made me think of an “ah ha” bottle of Aussie Grenache that i had a few years ago: a phenomenal 2001 Clarendon Hills Grenache Old Vines Blewitt Springs. It would’ve been fun to have that in this tasting. It really showed what stand-alone Grenache can do.
Interesting list of favorites I must say. I would think that if you had a SQN Grenache side by side with a Rayas, you would not guess them to be from the same variety.
No, I bought this back before I had the good fortune of meeting anyone from any online forums (with the exception, perhaps, of a very early Wine Spectator offline group that I was part of). I would think it’s still kicking…lucky for you to have one left!
[quoteNow I kind of wish someone had brought a bottle of K Vintners The Boy, which is 100% grenache and is absolutely beautiful.][/quote]
What vintage?
as well. Who blends Pinot? Not since Grenache was banned in burgundy…