Garnacha/Grenache

This is 100% Grenache from vines that are over 100 years old.  Incredible wine with only 400 Magnums being released.  Purple in color, slight ruby line at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, slight raspberries, minerals, slight anise and floral notes.  Full bodied.  Incredible texture.  Its a big wine but with so much energy and so light on its feet.  On the palate, this is complex and concentrated.  As it unwinds on the palate, there are black raspberries, lots of minerality, some anise and spice.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is drinking quite well now but just s

Wow.  Incredible wine.  Served from Magnum, this is still young but with some air was singing.  100% Grenache.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, spices, floral qualities but also a bit or roasted meats and herbs.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is concentrated, intense and delicious.  Cassis, lavender, slight black cherry with underlying char and minerality.  Voluptuous texture.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and went very well with Mushroom Agnolotti.  Still young, especially from Magnum, this will make gr

This is one of my favorite Chateauneuf's although not always easy to find and not inexpensive.  It is 100% Grenache from century old vines.  While this is still quite young, it is delicious and intense.  Deep garnet in color, opaque and bright.  The nose opens in the glass to show black raspberries, black cherries, spices and subtle floral notes.  Full bodied with a wonderful texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries with underlying spice and minerality.  Clean.  Great balance.  Long finish.  While no doubt not giving up everything, it is so delicious.  It went wonderfully

Charvin always makes a more elegant styled Chateauneuf with a larger amount of Grenache.  At age 15, this is drinking quite well.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, spices, slight dried floral notes and a bit of clean earthiness.  Medium bodied.  Bright acidity.  On the palate, cherries and black cherries with underlying spice, slight char and minerality.  Depth and layers of complexity.  Delicious.  Great on its own, this will excel with the right food such as beef or bean stew.  Fully mature, drink over the next ten years.  

This is a blend of 85% Grenache and then 5% each of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Vaccarese.  At age 16 it is just about at peak and drinking beautifully.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, raspberries, licorice, slight roasted herbs and spice.  Medium to full  bodied.  This is the elegant side of Chateauneuf.  On the palate, its about red fruits with some underlying spice, char and herbs.  Complex and layered, it unwinds in the glass.  Lots of energy and precision.  Nice finish.  Drinks great on its own but will work well with food.  It will work well with Chinese or simila

Deep ruby in color with some purple swirls.  The nose has some cherry fruit with a bit of spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, cherries.  This is clean, simple and probably a bit past its prime.  Still drinking well though.  Drink up in the next few years.  

From Magnum.  This is a blend of 75% Grenache, 12.5% Syrah, 11.5% Mourvedre, and 1% Roussanne.  2011 was a difficult vintage, but a bit less so in southern California where these grapes were grown.  Manfred Krankl (the owner and winemaker) did a great job here.  Garnet in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, spice, black olives, white pepper and dried flowers (violets?).  Medium tannins.  This is a big wine on the palate.  Black cherries, licorice, with some char.  Long finish.  This is delicious.  It needs another five to eight years to get to peak and s

Nice to revisit this wine at age 18.  2003 was a very hot vintage that was problematic for many winemakers.  This one is holding up just fine.  It is 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah and the rest Cinsault and Mourvedre.  This is fully mature but only showing a bit of age.  Light purple in color but still opaque and mostly bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, garrigue and dried tobacco.  Full bodied.  On the palate, nice cherry and black cherry fruit with underlying tobacco and some char.  Good complexity.  Long finish.  This will work better with hearty food; beef stew would work well.  D

This is 100% Grenache from organic grapes grown in Pignan.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries and spice/garrigue.  Full bodied.  On the palate, black cherries and some plums with underlying spice and char.  Nice energy and balance.  Long finish.  This needs more time to mature and open and surely will improve with five to seven more years.  It drinks well now though and will continue to do so for another twelve to fifteen years.  It will work well with lamb stew and other slow cooked, savory dishes.  

This is a blend of 90% Grenache and 10% a field blend.  It is quite tight and shut down at the moment so if drinking soon, give it about six hours of air or more.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries and garrigue.  With air a bit of lavender comes out.  On the palate, this has a lovely silky texture.  The fruit is quite tight but there are black cherries and black raspberries with a bit of black licorice and anise.  Everything feels right about this wine but it just isn't showing much at the moment.  Give it another five to seven years and then it should be o