Open Mike: Grenache/Garnacha.

After all the healthy talk here about Grenache, and the fact that there is a good supply out there on the shelves, and in the cellar, I think it is time for another Open Mike. Some will say a very wide-ranging subject, but maybe this thread will be all the better for it, for those who are interested! Robin the other day posted on a fine red from VdP Catalanes so quite topical right now I`d say.
Many different wine styles to consider and some pretty diverse wine-producing areas. Proirat, Rhone Valley especially CdP, Australia, Spain, Banyuls...... the list could go on. Blends are important and some might even find a sparkling Grenache!
I will start the ball rolling, having just enjoyed a staff wine-tasting with the crew at the Grill.

WTN: `04 Fire Block Old Vines Grenache, Clare Valley.

I have posted some notes here in the past on the `02 but the newer `04 vintage is selling well.

Nose featured some strawberry and raspberry and an almost floral rose-like aroma. Big red berry fruits on the palate and quite minerally. Soft tannins, hint of sweetness does not deter. Staff liked the raspberry flavor and a couple noted "cranberry". Not hot at 15% alc and a nice introduction. The girls thought would go well with braised beef ribs. Nice!

WTN: `06 Bodegas Ochoa Navarra Spain.

Vague label here, a crianza? Definately a blend of Grenache and Tempranillo, think 50/50 but not sure? Initially I was hoping for a 100 % Garnacha but not this time. Still a very worthy wine as we think about blends.

Deep coloured, light strawberry rime. Nose had some sweet berry fruits including raspberry and blackcurrant. Very fulfilling mouthfeel with little oak influence. Cherry and some expresso, lingering aftertaste which was a tad puckery. Some staff were hard pushed to be over-enthusiastic but then Spain can be tough for the uninitiated!

So there you go forumites. Hopefully this will gather some interest so post away if in the mood. Remember the Malbec OM and the interest that thread created!!

Here is some additional background....>

http://www.winepros.org/wine101/grape_p ... enache.htm

Good thinking, Bob. The first snow has just fallen here, so now is the time for a nice warming bottle of CndP or Gigondas and a glass of Maury or Banyuls with dessert.

To help get the ball rolling here is a reprint of my WTN on a Garnacha from Campo de Borja -

Campo de Borja “Verasol” Garnacha 2006 – Bodegas Santo Cristo – is an exemplary QPR (approx. € 7) and gutsy young 100% Garnacha (Grenache) showing succulent fruit with touches of spice and good structure and grip; one comment (reproach?) – I cannot detect any contribution from this Spanish terroir to distinguish it from a good Southern Côtes du Rhône; 15.5/20++.

Tim, very good point.I cannot detect any contribution from this Spanish terroir to distinguish it from a good Southern Côtes du Rhône;
That could well be an interesting angle in our discussions here. Price -wise too, one does not have to necessarily spend a fortune to sample a nice garnacho from the Spain.
Talking about the Rhone valley, I wonder how many wines from there are 100 percent Grenache?! I think that the Nalys CdP is, maybe Rayas too? Not much chance of finding a similar wine with 100 percent varietal from a humble CdR appellation!!

Here is some great insight from HRH Jancis....>

http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/jrs03408.html

Bob, very few wines from CDR or Villages are 100% Grenache, indeed I can only think of one from Gramenon. Rayas, of course, is and Tony Fletcher told us about one from Vacqeyras. Same goes for Côtes du Roussillon and Villages, except for one made by Hervé Bizeul, la Petite Siberie, costing €200!!! Even less in Languedoc. However, Grenache character shines through most of the blends where it is more than 50%.

Tongue in cheek comment there Tim! I have also seen a Grenache Blanc from California but cannot remember who. Tablas Creek maybe?
Gary V on Wine Library.com tasted a southern France white Grenache but was not too impressed. Used mainly as a blend in the Rhone I gather.
Question...I have a bottle here from Naick, the L`Oustal Blanc. A red Minervois from Claude Fonquerie. Any idea what I have here?

Bob, according to this site http://www.chateauloisel.com/vin/langue ... -blanc.htm oustal blanc naick is cinsault dominated with only 10% Grenache. Oustal Blanc has a good reputation and I remember enjoying their wines at a tasting but not buying any because I thought them over-priced.

WTN: Rivesaltes Ambré Vin Doux Naturel 1995 - Domaine Gardiés - Alc 16% - made from Grenache blanc 95% and Muscat petits grains 5%.

C: Deep amber. In the cellar, I thought this was rosé but Germaine was adamant that there were no pink tints. I still see them.
N: Sweet red fruit with a nutty background.
P: Gently sweet with subdued fruit and attractive secondary aromas on entry and mid-palate with some caramel emerging towards the finish but the after-taste tended to cloy. Admittedly the elegant Herrenberg, see Wine Focus, was a hard act to follow, but a little disappointing; 14.5/20++.

Maybe it will show better tomorrow.

Had a few Rivesaltes in my time, need to try again.

For those forumites interested in taking part in this OM, one Garnacha to look for might be the Garnacha de Fuego which is readily available I think. Vinified by Bodegas Zabrin, seems to attract plenty of press attention (if that is a good thing!). Really attractive label, a raging fire!

http://www.deuxhwine.com/img_product/00294/00294.jpg

[David M. Bueker]

Tongue in cheek comment there Tim! I have also seen a Grenache Blanc from California but cannot remember who.

The ESJ "Heart of Gold" is a blend of Grenache Blanc and Vermentino.

Thanks David, we will leave it up to you to do a TN!!

Anyhows here are my thoughts on an Old Vines Grenache from Foggo that has lingered in my cellar for over 3 yrs. At time of purchase, I was informed that "this is a big wine....and needs time".

WTN: `02 Foggo Old Bush Vine Grenache. McLaren Vale SA.

65 year old vines plus, cellared 3 years. Good natural cork, opened 4 hours then decanted. No sediment noted.
$36 Cdn, 15.5% alc, http://www.foggowines.com.au.

Color. Bright red-ruby with fair amount of bricking on the rim. Not used to seeing so much red color in a wine!! Very attractive indeed.

Nose. Oh lots going on here. Spice, black fruits, cassis, slight hint of oak. Some violets and fresh marinaded strawberries, all very vibrant and lively. No change overnight.

Palate. Initial mouthfeel entry is dry, tart finish, good fruit balance, excellent acidity. Low tannins here, meaty, "just a brief hint of sweetness" from across the table. No pepper or spice, some rhubarb pie on mid-palate. Big wine alright, lingering aftertaste, boysenberry and strawberry.
Found quite a bit of cherry after second glass but overall complex well defined-flavors. On day 2, found some figs and prunes but no sign of going downhill. Much bigger wine than the Fire Block I posted on.

Perhaps David might have a few comments?
Food was a cubed steak fry-up with mushrooms in a tomato sauce. Nice, went well.

Aussie Grenache; another compulsory port of call, along with Oz, Kiwi and Nigl Rieslings, when I go to the specialist importer's tasting next weekend. Apart from him, there is no other place here where I have seen any of the above, except Nigl.

Bob, you seem to get a lot of Australian, and other New World, wines in Alberta but quite few French. Is this a matter of cultural affinities? Would it be the other way round in Quebec?

Aussie Grenache; another compulsory port of call, along with Oz, Kiwi and Nigl Rieslings, when I go to the specialist importer's tasting next weekend. Apart from him, there is no other place here where I have seen any of the above, except Nigl.

Bob, you seem to get a lot of Australian, and other New World, wines in Alberta but quite few French. Is this a matter of cultural affinities? Would it be the other way round in Quebec?

Good question Tim. I am a big supporter/buyer of Rhone/S France/Loire but just don`t seem to post many notes! I have never broken down the content of my cellar which runs around 300 bottles but suspect it is around 30%. Mainly red of course but used to have fair amount of white.
I shop at DeVines downtown (mainly) and they have a huge selection from France. Go to http://www.devinewines.ca and just do the product search. There are about ten stores that carry the better stuff and France is well covered I`d say.
Italy too is very well repped in Alberta but at the same high prices!!

WTN: Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1996 – Tardieu-Laurent – Alc . 13.5%

I chose this wine to accompany pheasant as winter has arrived in the form of fine snow. In the event it did not quite fit the bill, having a character that I would place at least 150km further North with less than normal of the typical Mediterranean generosity and spiciness. This is probably due to the cool, high acid and relatively low ripeness of the 1996 vintage.

I have no information on the varietal composition. As usual there is certainly a lot of Grenache but the flavour profile suggests also much Syrah but little Mourvèdre.

C: Garnet of medium intensity.
N: Red fruit with a lot of sweet cherry, touches of pepper and a certain roundness.
P: Medium-full in body, round and quite velvety but with unusually fresh acidity, resolved tannic structure and similar aromas to the nose, plus an element of ivy, and good flavour intensity, length and elegance. There was just a suspicion of “off” flavours, mushroom, in the finish (a little rot?) but not enough seriously to detract from the overall picture and there was little evidence of the famous Laurent wood treatment other than a smooth patina. A fine wine but not very typically CndP; just 16/20.

I remember the previous bottle as more acidic but without that slight “off” element.

Rivesaltes Ambré 1995 – Domaine Gardiés
I liked this a lot better than last night. The aroma and flavours seemed better integrated and more complex and I no longer perceived caramel towards the finish nor cloying on the after-taste. The following factors other than favourable evolution over 24 hours may have affected my impression.
- the CndP was a much more compatible predecessor than last night’s Riesling Herrenberg
- the colder temperature of service (straight from the fridge) may have concealed its faults
- the pairing, a sort of trifle, was more friendly than last night’s bitter chocolate mousse
Nevertheless I cannot escape feeling that the VDN treatment is more suitable to Grenache Noir than to Blanc with the former's extra tannins acting better to balance the sweetness.

Tim`s Rivesaltes..........- the colder temperature of service (straight from the fridge) may have concealed its faults
- the pairing, a sort of trifle, was more friendly than last night’s bitter chocolate mousse

I have never been a fan of (Calif) Ironstone`s white, the Obsession Symphony. This white varietal I have always considered a nice white to serve at a wedding or a baby shower!!
Last night at the Grill, I tried a glass with the chefs new creation. A chicken breast stuffed with brie and raspberries. A brilliant match, the food bringing some grape character I never thought existed!!

http://www.winelegacy.com/Images/ItemBo ... tone_1.jpg

WTN: Priorat Usatges 2004 – Costers del Siurana (Pastrana & Jarque) – Alc. 14.5 – (€16) – made from Garnatxa, Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Tempranillo and matured for 1 year in Limousin, Allier and Nevers twice used barrels.

After trying this wine at a tasting, I wrote that the wine needed several more years. I am glad that that I did not re-read that note until just now, because it might have discouraged me from choosing this bottle. I am not now convinced that this view was correct for my palate.
C: Deep red.
N: Fairly subdued, particularly at first, but with gentle development of black currant liqueur and light tobacco aromas.
P: Medium-full bodied, dark fruit and good substance, less sweet, more mineral and austere than most Grenache dominated wines, good tannic structure (less brooding than without food), similar aromas to the nose with some additional complexity notably some herbs and spice and an additional tarry liquorice element which supported the clean and adequately long finish. Two addition positives were a direct frankness on the palate and the discretion of its high alcohol content (both Germaine and I would have guessed about 13%). With little experience of Priorat, I wonder whether further bottle age and opening up might not lead to more jammy textures and boiled sweet (bonbon) aromas which I don’t greatly like. Meanwhile I like this quite a lot; 16/20.

(NB: This is an entry level Priorat. The importer’s wine list http://www.labuenavida.be/search.php?ac ... arch&lng=2 contains one costing more than 10 times as much and I believe that the Palacios Ermita goes for many times more than that. It is quite possible that I may prefer a relatively unsophisticated offering like this to many of the more ambitious, richer and more wooded cuvées.)

This OM seems to be mainly a duet between us two so far, Bob. Wade in everyone, please? I will also post this separately as we may be more likely to get an input from Victor that way.

This OM seems to be mainly a duet between us two so far, Bob. Wade in everyone, please? I will also post this separately as we may be more likely to get an input from Victor that way.

Well, it was posted just before the weekend and to be honest 100% Grenache does not always draw a big crowd.
There are some wonderful Garnacha wines out there and hopefully we will get around to some later. Spain is selling well right now I believe?
Your imput is fantastic Tim. To be honest, I have not sampled too many Priorat so will rely on you and others to fire away!!

tarry liquorice element....am I correct in thinking this is an important reference to Priorat?

tarry liquorice element....am I correct in thinking this is an important reference to Priorat?

Bob, I too don't have enough experience of Priorat to give a view on this. There may be some on show at next weekend's tasting.

Tonight I am raising a glass to Mat Garretson, a wonderful and entertaining Rhone-Ranger, who is moving on to other pastures (see Tom Hill`s thread "Sad news"). Not sure if Grenache was in his portfolio but he would have made a great wine!

In a recent Wine Advisor, Robin posted some thoughts on a red wine from Domaine Lafage in the Roussillon area. As luck would have it, I came across this Grenache on a visit downtown!

WTN: `05 Cote Grenache Noir Domaine Lafage, VdP des Cotes Catalanes.

Good natural cork, opened an hour but not decanted. $22 Cdn and 15% alc. Winery is right on border with Spain and owner also has "Las Rocas Garnacha" wines in his portfolio. Catalanes appellation is centred on Rivesaltes.

Color. Dull ruby-purple best description. Not a lot of depth in the centre, some lightish watery purple on the rim. Tough to figure out!

Nose. No such problem here! Very nice aromatics with violets, red berry fruits, plum, cherry and tinge of oak.

Palate. Initial mouthfeel entry is juicy, crisp acidity, great fruit balance, strawberry, cherry and raspberry.
First day low tannins but structure built up overnight revealing a firmer wine. Some jam here too, might be described as a more "modern" style but I like it. Has lots going on here, especially on second day. Not sure about length of time in oak but its influence is there....sort of!
Gonna have to try this again in 6 months and report back. Might even find some garrigue to get excited about!

Food was pork scallopini with wild mushroom sauce.

Bob,

Does the Domaine Lafage claim to be 100% Grenache?

I think that most Grenache benefits from blending. From a balance point of view, grapes like Syrah and Mourvèdre bring structure and temper the succulent sweetness of fruit which, from most terroirs, could become somewhat boring, even cloying, if G is 100%. It sounds as if this one benefited from greater firmness on the second day. I have also read that blending in grape varieties like S & M improve the wine's keeping potential.

Of course, there are exceptions and we all know that Château Rayas, 100% Grenache, makes a wonderfully complex, elegant and age-worthy CndP and I was greatly impressed by Hervé Bizeul's Petite Sibérie (also 100% G but €200!!) 2005, I think, from Roussillon but it is too soon to have an ageing track record.

I will start the ball rolling, having just enjoyed a staff wine-tasting with the crew at the Grill.

WTN: `06 Bodegas Ochoa Navarra Spain.

Vague label here, a crianza? Definately a blend of Grenache and Tempranillo, think 50/50 but not sure? Initially I was hoping for a 100 % Garnacha but not this time. Still a very worthy wine as we think about blends.

Deep coloured, light strawberry rime. Nose had some sweet berry fruits including raspberry and blackcurrant. Very fulfilling mouthfeel with little oak influence. Cherry and some expresso, lingering aftertaste which was a tad puckery. Some staff were hard pushed to be over-enthusiastic but then Spain can be tough for the uninitiated!

Bob, I believe this Ochoa wine fits into a definite niche in the line up of Spanish wines. Having spent 4 months in barrel, it is in a classification called joven (young), or sin (without)crianza. Many joven wines do not spend any time in oak, and those that do, the oak is is likely to be several years old. This wine however does see it's four months in new oak barrels. The makeup of this wine is 50% Garnacha, and 50% Graciano. I would think this wine might be a bit darker than many grenache/tempranillo wines but still, I would prefer the tempranillo wines.

Not a pure Grenache, but we enjoyed the 2006 Saisons de Beauchene Gogondas last night. Amazing nose of garrigue and licorice, with fine red cherry fruit. Slight alcoholic burn, but overall a smooth, savory, and very slurpable red wine. The young lady who was playing piano last nigth tried a glass and ended up buying the last bottle in stock !
I really like Rhone wines. (and American versions that share the balance and savoryness while avoiding the syrupy sweetness of too much American syrah)
Thanks, John

(At Winestyles in Vacaville)

Tres Picos Garnacha Borsao at $10.99 U.S., and Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha at $8.99 U.S. are two of our regualar favorites.

Tim asks......Does the Domaine Lafage claim to be 100% Grenache?

The label reads Grenache Noir so minimum 85%? You might know (the rules) better than I!!
The finish and overall structure on Day 2 was quite enlightening but I am not sure why?
The website I have here seems pretty vague, you have more info than me Tim!

Bob and Carl, thanks for your imput. Hopefully some more TNs on the way?!

Brian, Gigondas right?