Garnacha/Grenache

There are not a lot of great producers of Grenache in California, but there are a few who excel and at the top is Manfred Krankl and his Sine Qua Non wines.  At age 13, this is just hitting its stride and just outstanding.  A blend of 82% Grenache, 14% Syrah, 2% Viognier and 2% Roussanne.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, black raspberries, roasted meats and spices.  Full bodied.  15.8% abv but no heat.  On the palate, black cherries with some black raspberries over a bit of char.  Deep and powerful.  Delicious.  Long finish.  The kind of wine that

This is a blend of 40% Syrah, 22% Grenache, 21% Mourvedre, 3% Counoise, and 3% Terret Noir checking in at 13% abv.  Screw capped.  This is a nice value play in easy to drink, Cal Rhone styled wines.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black cherries, slight pepper and an herbal note (chervil?).  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Little tannins.  Nice black cherry fruit with a touch of black pepper.  Good acidity.  Moderate finish.  This will work well with most meats, fowl or veggies.  Drink over the next five to seven years.

A very unique expression of Grenache.  These wines are big but they have such energy and hide the alcohol very well.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Lots of black cherry fruit with a bit of earthy funk.  Also, some dust and spice.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Raspberries, black raspberries with light tannins over earth and char.  Long finish.  This is drinking great is a bit on the younger side of maturity.  It should continue to drink well for the next ten to fifteen years.  This drinks great on its own and will work well with roasts or stews.  

Gigondas is a great place to find nice value in Rhone wines.  Montmirail is a good choice for producers in Gigondas.   This is a blend of 75% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 5% Mourvèdre.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, black pepper, and some earthiness.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, the black cherry fruit dominates over an earthy/forest floor base.  Nice balance.  Mild tannins.  Good finish.  This is drinking well but may still get a bit better over the next five to seven years.  It will drink well for ten to twelve more years

This performed above expectations.  It is in a really great place right now.  Purple in color with a thin ruby lip.  The nose is classic with black cherries, cherries, black olives, garrique and slight dried flowers.  This is a bit bigger than most vintages but still has that Charvin sinewy texture and energy.  It is not a big wine.  Nice black cherry fruit with a base of semi-clean earthiness.  Great balance.  Layers of depth and complexity.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This bottle seemed just about at peak but should be hears for at least another decade.  Drinks great on its own but will wo

Cotes du Rhones offer up some excellent values.  Add to that the Rhone Valley (especially in the Southern Rhone) seems to have eight or nine good to great vintages a decade, and it can be a go to source of outstanding values.  This wine is certainly one.  It appears to be a Grenache/Syrah blend but the exact blend is unknown.  The bottle is attractively packaged with an unusual shape and a colorful "Old-timey" label.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, roasted meats, slight cinnamon and nutmeg with a slight earthiness.  Medium bodied.  There is a nice

This is an excellent value in a mostly traditional Spanish wine from Rioja.  It is a blend of 70% Tempranillo and and 30% a combination of balance Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano.  Deep ruby in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, blueberries, slight tobacco, cloves and slight dill.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has an "old world" feel to it, but with plenty of ripe fruit too.  The blueberries and black cherries come thru over a bed of dusty dry leaves with a slight bit of savory spices.  Nice finish.  This drinks well on its own but really worked well with

For those looking for value in their red wines, the southern Rhone is still a great place once you get outside Chateauneuf and perhaps Gigondas.  This is one of those wines that is a great wine to stock up on in great vintages.  Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is very nice with black cherries, plums, slight spice and slight floral notes.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has some depth to it.  Black cherry fruit with underlying spice.  Good acidity.  This should drink well for the next five to seven years.  A nice match with a veggies burger (or even a meat burg

Another nice value play from Kermit Lynch.  A blend of 60% Carignan, 30% Grenache Noir,  and 10% Syrah.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  Mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, slight earthy note and black pepper.  Medium bodied.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, the black cherries come thru.  Some depth.  Light tannins.  Good finish.  This is a tasty wine that drinks fine on its own but works better with hearty food.  It went great with a vegetarian chili.  Drink this over the next five to seven years.  

 This is 60% Cariñena, and 40% Garnacha.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  It has a really great nose with black cherries, cherries, slate/minerals and char.  On the palate, a nice backbone of acidity.  Black cherry fruit.  This wine is showing a nice complexity with underlying minerality.  Nice finish.  This should drink well for the next ten years.  It will work well with grilled meats and pork.