Sept. 21 Grenache Day!

In honor of Grenache Day, a number of U.S. wineries have organized festivities from Santa Rosa to Paso Robles.

For those of you unfamiliar with grenache, the occasion is a great time to get acquainted with the wonderful wine. A lighter red, less full bodied than a Cabernet or Pinot Noir, it's often an everyday wine in Spain and France.

In honor of this great grape, find all the best organic and biodynamic selections from California in this post from 2011 right here (under $20) and over $20.

Featured are selections from Beckmen, Qupe, Tablas Creek, Horse and Plow (old vines, dry farmed - from Testa - one of my faves). A case of the latter runs $270 (at the case price) or $25 a bottle.

[Bonny Doon, despite much ballyhoo and its position as leading the charge for Grenache Day, does not have an organically farmed Grenache, alas. (It used to, but switched sources).]

Here's more about the festivities. Of the wineries listed on the release there, only Qupe and Tablas Creek are among those offering organically grown grenache. Qupe will be having special tastings in its tasting room in Santa Barbara County and Tablas will be celebrating in Paso Robles.

Grenache is associated with the former Aragon
whose former territory is shown above

You can read more about the grape on the Tablas Creek website here.

Although the Tablas Creek history, like many, claims French or Spanish origins, many now consider that Sardinia may be the source of this varietal where it is today known as Cannonau.

It has high yields and ripens late. A surprise to me - I learned on Wikipedia - it's widely grown in the San Joaquin Valley. It's usually blended in France with Syrah and Mourvedre and it constitutes the bulk (80%) of the famed Chateauneuf de Pape.

So find a bottle - go for the Horse and Plow before it runs out (this would be the most historic old vine choice) - or the Qupe - and raise a glass to this lovely light red!

The Summer of Grenache, Continued: $20 and Up

There seems to be some kind of a summer of riesling thing happening. But as for me, different drummer and all that, grenache has caught my fancy and I've been exploring the organically grown American options.

Earlier this week, I blogged about the impressive Under $20 category. Today, I'm forging onward in the Summer of Grenache to the Over $20 category.

I've got one more to add to the $20 and Under List:

• 2007/8 Estate Grenache, Beckmen Vineyards (originally $25/on sale for $19.99)

Beckmen's estate vineyards are organic, while the Purisima Mountain vineyard is biodynamic. The Purisima Mountain grenache is almost twice the price of the estate grenache and is no longer available from the winery. However, you can find a few last cases online.

Parker's understandably a big fan of Beckmen, which includes both this grenache and its biodynamic cousin. Parker calls the 2008 vintage (no longer available) a "very attractive bargain." I agree. I just ordered a case, since this appears to be the end of the line for the bargain priced estate grenache which I guess will have to be "Mature" and ready to consume. No waiting!

Parker's 2008 notes:

The least expensive Grenache and a very attractive bargain is the 2008 Estate Grenache. This displays more strawberry, red currant, and cherry notes, with some earth, lavender, and subtle herbaceousness. Dark ruby, medium-bodied, with nice texture, this is a wine to drink over the next 2-3 years. 

$20-$30 Price Range

• 2009 Cote de Tablas Paso Robles, Tablas Creek, $30 (elsewhere down to $25 online for 2009/$22 for other vintages)

Paso Robles-based Tablas Creek should, given its Rhone family ownership make a fantastic Grenache. After all, the winery was created and is co-owned by a famous Rhone producer, the Perrin family. So it's no surprise that it makes a lovely grenache-syrah-counoise-mourvedre blend that is a Cote du Rhone taste-alike.

Parker rated the current vintage a whopping 93 points. The winemaker says it's the winery's most intense Cote de Tablas Rouge ever, given the low yields in the harvest during 2009, the third consecutive drought year.

In past years Parker, who has been a fan of the Perrin's French wines for decades and Tablas Creek's as well, has consistently given various Tablas Creek vintages scores between 88 and 93; Vinography likes it, too, rating it 9 (out of 10) points. Parker's notes (reprinted from the Tablas Creek web site): 

Charmingly fruity, supple and fun to drink, exhibiting ripe plum, black cherry and wild berry fruit that’s smooth and layered, with a long, fruity finish. Grenache, Syrah, Counoise and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2017

In previous months, the Tablas Creek web site featured this from Parker:

This California Côte du Rhône look-alike, made from 42% Grenache, 21% Syrah, 20% Counoise (which must be an all-time high for that varietal in a Rhône Ranger blend), and 17% Mourvèdre, displays the earthier side of Rhône Rangers. Spicy, dark berries intermixed with underbrush, forest floor, pepper, and soy are followed by a medium-bodied, earthy wine in contrast to the more fruit-driven 2007. Drink it over the next 3-4 years. 

I laid in a good supply of this lovely wine on a recent visit to the winery. I'm waiting awhile to drink it.


$30-$40

• 2009 Grenache 80, Cowhorn ($30)

Why do they call it 80? Because that's the number of days of frost this poor Rhone grape had to endure in southern Oregon, but endure it did. 

Cowhorn's got a great reputation for biodyamic wines. I'm looking forward to tasting it in person at the winery when I get up to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival later this summer. I'll let you know then how it's tasting.

• 2007 Grenache, Ampelos Cellars ($35)

I couldn't find any tasting notes on their web site or online but it's recorded here for posterity and for the sake of comprehensiveness.

Ampelos' estate wines are biodynamic.

• 2008 Grenache, Tablas Creek, $32 (sold out)

While we await the new release, here are Parker's notes from the last (sold out) vintage:

The same earthiness, underbrush and Provençal herbs/garrigue notes [as the Cote de Tablas] are found in the 2008 Grenache. It is medium-bodied, not as lush and textured as the 2007, but very well made.

• 2007 Grenache Purissima Mountain Vineyard, Qupe ($35) 

Before Qupe bought its own biodynamic vineyard (Sawyer Lindquist) in Edna Valley, it sourced its grenache from the Beckmen family's biodynamic Purisima Mountain vineyard. 

Qupe's now shifting over to its own Edna Valley vineyard so this may be the last vintage produced by Qupe from Purisima Mountain. 

$40-50

I find it rather amazing that this price category exists for grenache, but...it does.

• 2008 Adamo, AmByth Estate ($45)


In Paso Robles, one of the few other organic (actually it's biodynamic) wineries is Ambyth Estate, which also makes a very lovely GSM blend with a touch of counoise. The winery's tasting notes:


"...fruity, cherry-packed wine has strawberries and warm summer fruits with a dash of black pepper on the nose."

• 2008 Purissima Mountain Vineyard Grenache, Beckmen ($48/2007 is $39)

Robert Parker is a huge fan of this grenache as well, rating it 91 points:

More impressive, but nearly twice the price, is the 2008 Grenache Purisma Mountain Vineyard. This is an outstanding example of Grenache from the Santa Ynez Valley. Beautiful kirsch liqueur, lavender, spice box, and sweet black currants jump from the glass of this deep ruby/plum-colored wine. In the mouth, raspberries make an appearance in a rich, full-bodied, silky textured wine that is both hedonistic and intellectually pleasing. This is a super example of Grenache that should drink nicely for another 4-6 years. 

...This corroborates past performances over the last decade that Beckman is one of the best producers from Santa Ynez."

The Great Grenache Roundup (Organic or Biodynamic, Of Course!)

Grenache grapes

My latest copy of the Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine arrived in the mail this week and is always good for a quick read. I never understand how they select which wines to review (as many of my favorites are usually not included - oh well) - but since I am still in the stages of acquainting myself with their preferences and predilections, I read them.

In this July newsletter, they have a more newsworthy preface than usual, since the issue focuses on Syrah and Rhone wines. One of their trends they describe is that Grenache and Marsanne have big potential in California.

Leaving Marsanne aside (whilst hoping Bonterra's new owners decide to try making it again), this was my jumping off point for deciding to do a roundup of Great Grenaches. And the more I looked, the more interesting the story of the organic California grenache became.

After all grenache is the second most widely grown grape in the world. It does seem curious that California's been so intent on chasing harder to grow red grapes, while Grenache has been a comparative rarity.

It turns out Robert Parker (quoted here from Vinography) has been wondering the same thing - why Grenache hasn't been more widely grown in California and isn't more appreciated.

Parker maintains that it is consistently underrated and under recognized both as a wine that can have some of the complexity and expressiveness of good Burgundy, as well as being a fabulous match for food.

"I find myself buying more and more Grenache based wines as I get older," says Parker, who says he is drinking younger and younger wines because he doesn't have the time to wait for current vintages of Bordeaux, for instance, to age properly. Because of its sensitivity to light and air, says Parker, he thinks Grenache based wines are best in the first 10 years of their life, though he notes that some can last much longer.

Originally from Spain, garnacha, as it is called in Spain, is widely grown in France as well. Grenache (the French name) predominates in Rhone blends in France and makes up the greatest portion of southern France's famous Chateauneuf de Pape. Grenache is usually blended with other grapes, and a GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) blend is one of the most common.

California has lots of great grenache growing territory (from Lake County to the Central Coast), but it's pretty much underexploited. Organic and biodynamic grenache is rare - but most of the offerings are high quality and a treat to explore.

Imported grenaches are rarely organic or biodynamic (those that are are on par in terms of prices compared to U.S.) so we owe the California producers in this roundup our thanks for making this available to us who prefer to source our wines locally.

The CGCW newsletter lists only one grenache from an organic producer - Tablas Creek's Cote de Tablas, a GSM blend - but there are many other worthy contenders. The original Rhone Ranger - Bonny Doon - offers us the perennially famous Cigare Volant, its homage to Chateauneuf de Pape, and there are many other wonderful GSM blends and predominantly grenache varietals to sample.

Almost all the main wine growing regions of California can grow grenache, which loves our heat and sun, but almost all the organic and biodynamic grenache in the Golden State is clustered in Monterey County and the Central Coast where the following producers grow a variety of other Rhone varietals as well:

• Monterey County (Bonny Doon)
• Paso Robles (Ambyth Estate, Tablas Creek)
• San Luis Obispo (Qupe's Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard in Edna Valley)
• Santa Barbara County (Ampelos Estate, Beckmen's Purisima Mountain Vineyard)

Notably there is one old vine grenache vineyard - Testa in Talmage, in Mendocino's hot Ukiah corridor - that has 40 to 90 year old organic vines that go into Horse & Plow's Old Vine Grenache - only 50 cases are made - that is definitely worth sampling.

Under $20

Here are four lovely Grenaches for a modest (like mine) budget.

• Grenache, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Edna Valley ($35/$17 online), Qupe

Qupe's tasting notes call this 100% Grenache "almost Pinot-Noir like in its structure and weight" and I agree, though the notes also go on to say "and yet when you smell and drink it, it is clearly Grenache!" (Agreed as well.)

(For those of you who have yet to discover Qupe, it, along with Jim Clendenen's Au Bon Climat, is one of the three leading organic/biodynamic pioneers, along with Beckmen, of the organic/biodynamic outpost of the Santa Barbara County wineries. A small group indeed - alas - but happily these three make up for their tiny size, compared to their nonorganic neighbors, in quality.)

The back of the label says this wine is dedicated to "Robert M. "Bob" Senn, the Rock on the Coast, early Grenache advocate and Qupe customer #001." I called the winery to get the real story and was told that Senn (now in the next world) was a leading light in putting Santa Barbara County on the map as wine making region. That he had a radio show in the 1970s - yes, the 1970's - on SB County wines (this beats Gary V by 20 years). He had a famous wine shop, LOWSA - Los Olivos Wine and Spirits Emporium - which was the Qupe tasting room until Qupe got a tasting room. He was also Qupe winemaker Bob Lindquist's best friend. I'm hoping he liked 100% Grenache - it's so unusual, but so delicious, you do kinda wonder why it's so often blended. Nice to have the option to taste it on its ownsome for a change. 

Qupe's Grenache is fermented with natural yeasts and then aged in neutral oak, sur lees, for 17 months. More from the winemaker's tasting notes: "elegant yet racy with wild cherry, spice and herbs-de-Provence...great intensity and balance." Yes.

Ratings: Tanzer: 91 points.

Where to Buy: Online or at winery; I just found it online by the case at Suburban Wines for $16.99 a bottle. (Ordered a case). Even with shipping it's about $20 a bottle. Extremely good value. 50% off basically. I've no idea why it's discounted so heavily. That is what below a trade discount or wine club member price - so go for it!

• Cuvee le Bec ($18), Beckmen Vineyards

Robert Parker loves it and so do countless others; Parker calls it "one of the finest bargains year in and year out" - and not just of California. In his own Wine Bargains book, he calls it one of the "wine world's finest bargains...an ideal bistro red, delicious and personality filled." It's a fantastic and affordable GSM blend.

Ratings: Parker/Wine Advocate: 89 points. CGCW: 84 points.

Where to Buy: Available in my local market (Berkeley Bowl); I've also seen it at Whole Foods (I think). As always, the winery is an option. A good wine to buy by the case and stock as a house wine since it really has year round appeal. Big hearted red.

• Old Vine Grenache, Testa Vineyard, Horse & Plow, ($18.99)

Testa is an old Italian family vineyard (and newly reopened winery) in Calpella, near Ukiah in Mendocino County. (I've posted two articles about it here already but never realized it had a grenache planting.) While a fair amount of grenache is now being grown in Lake County and once was in Mendocino, Mendocino's current grenache profile is pretty low. But this historic vineyard stands out. Horse & Plow makes only organically sourced wines and this one, like most of their wines, is unfined and unfiltered. It's 90% grenache with 10% carignane (which Testa also grows organically).

This is a very lovely grenache, and I'd put up right up there with the Qupe. I'm ordering a case!

Ratings: Wine Enthusiast: 90 points.

Where to Buy: K&L Wines carries it or you can get it from the winery.

Coming soon...I'll post about the more expensive organic Grenaches in the $20 and up range.