Grenache on the rise plus 40 to try from around the world
Something of a mercurial presence, Grenache has been much overlooked as a ‘workhorse’ grape variety, yet it’s the key ingredient in one of France’s definitive full-bodied red styles of the Rhône. Elsewhere in the world, winemakers are now beginning to discover and perfect the grape’s ability to express its terroir to the full.
I know exactly what my Spanish friends will say when they read the introduction to this article: ‘But Grenache doesn’t even come from the Rhône.’ And they’d be right, of course.
This variety might have originated in Spain, but now there is significantly more on the other side of the Pyrenees. It’s the second-most planted red variety in France at more than 80,000ha (according to the most recent OIV data), and no region has more than the southern Rhône, where plantings across the whole territory exceeded 36,000ha in 2021 (Inter Rhône).
Scroll down to see Matt Walls’ top-scoring Grenache wines from around the world
If your benchmark for this grape is dark and gutsy Châteauneuf-du-Pape, however, then prepare for some surprises when you venture further afield.
Grenache is a grape that’s gaining in popularity with pioneering winemakers around the world, as it becomes clear just how faithfully it can reflect terroir. Like the Pinot family, the Grenache clan comes in three colours, but let’s focus on dry reds to see how different countries and regions are expressing their vineyards through a grape that combines delicacy and power, sweet fruits and savoury herbs. Following my recent tasting of 95 wines in all, here are five regions leading the way.
See all 40 of Matt Walls’ recommended Grenache wines to try
Sierra de Gredos
Spain
The birth and development of a new wine region is always a joy to witness. What’s remarkable about the Sierra de Gredos is the speed with which it’s established itself, combined with the thrilling singularity of its wines.
The process has no doubt felt rather more gradual for Daniel Landi of Comando G, who deserves high praise for the part he has played in the renaissance of Gredos. He grew up in the village of Méntrida, within these granite mountains, situated about 60km southwest of Madrid.
When Landi was young, Gredos was a poor region producing bulk wine and Grenache (known as Garnacha in Spain), which was considered a contemptible variety. ‘But there are good things about being poor,’ he says. People couldn’t afford to buy herbicides, international varieties or trellising systems, so today the pristine Gredos mountains are almost entirely populated by ancient Grenache bush vines, almost all of which are between 60 and 100 years old.
These high-altitude granitic vineyards (Landi’s vines sit between 900m and 1,200m) see unusually high rainfall, and this terroir makes for a long, slow ripening period that can, in the right hands, produce wines of aromatic finesse and delineated tannins. ‘The soil is the rhythm of your music,’ he says. ‘Granite gives tension and acidity.’ It produces Grenache that’s pale, perfumed and Pinotesque. Other producers to look out for are Bodega Marañones and 4 Monos Viticultores.
The mountain range covers three separate DOs: Vinos de Madrid, Méntrida and Cebreros. ‘But we have to talk about Gredos like a single region,’ says Landi; ‘it makes no sense to talk about different DOs.’ Like any mountain range, there are valleys and hillsides with their own unique aspects; to explore them, find a copy of his book – Calicata, Gredos as Terroir – a collaboration between Comando G, other local winemakers and journalists, published in November 2022 (£60 via Les Caves de Pyrene).
Thirty years ago, it was Priorat on everybody’s lips: another mountainous region with plentiful old-vine Grenache, along with Carignan. It’s known for powerful, structured wines but the style has evolved recently towards clarity and precision, including some excellent pure Grenache bottlings. If you’ve been put off by burly wines in the past, try Mas Martinet’s Els Escurçons (2018, £79.68 Justerini & Brooks) and Terroir al Límit’s Les Manyes (2018, £153 Berry Bros & Rudd), both pure Grenache; or Alvaro Palacios’ Finca Dofí (more than 80% Grenache; 2019, £61-£76 Berry Bros & Rudd, Vinvm, Woodshire Wines).
In Spain, ‘there were no world-class Garnachas 10 years ago’, says Landi. There are now.
Santa Barbara
California, USA
Grenache is a versatile grape, producing red wines which range from the dark and muscular, such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas, through to the pale and delicate. Most regions outside the Rhône produce wines that inhabit the lighter end of the spectrum – including many of the best Grenache-based wines of California.
It was once the second-most planted grape here, but Grenache vineyards have dwindled since the mid-1970s to about 1% of total plantings (Capstone California, 2021). Producers of the ‘Rhône Ranger’ movement that started in the 1990s were always more focused on Syrah. But since 2000 there has been renewed interest in Grenache, with a proliferation of new vineyards springing up in quality AVAs.
There are interesting examples from Sonoma Valley, Sierra Foothills and San Luis Obispo, but the most impressive Grenache-based wines I’ve tasted to date have been from Santa Barbara on the Central Coast. The style here is typically very pale in colour, with light extraction – some of the reds are verging on rosé. They work on subtle balances of acidity and alcohol, with slight tannins and fresh faces. Some could be accused of being too light, in fact, lacking concentration and flavour intensity.
But not those of A Tribute to Grace’s Angela Osborne. She only makes pure Grenache, and works nine sites around California, including Santa Barbara. ‘I love its ability to show both yin and yang,’ she says. ‘Grenache has this incredible balance between the masculine and the feminine, in terms of qualities, aromatics, energies… it’s the perfect expression of grace as an attribute.’
Osborne cites Château Rayas as an influence, and like its wines, hers are pale with haunting herbal nuances from whole-bunch fermentation and refreshingly pure red fruit accents. Other producers to look out for are Railsback Frères, Birichino, Fine Disregard and The Language of Yes – the new project from Rhône-freak Randall Grahm.
The proportion of Grenache grown in the Pacific Northwest is even smaller than in California, in 2021 representing some 0.88% of the declared annual crush in Washington state, for example. But given the incredible quality of some Washington state examples, it will surely increase. Some of the best-known Grenache-based wines of Washington are produced by Frenchman Christophe Baron, under his Cayuse label, which for many are the benchmark. But don’t miss Pášxa (pronounced ‘pahk-sha’), the new project by winemaker Todd Alexander in the Rocks District AVA of Oregon – Grenache scented with raspberry and rose, spherical and jewel-bright.
The Rayas effect
Pale colour, light extraction, whole-bunch fermentation… If Grenache winemakers around the world are looking to any Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate for inspiration, it’s clear which one: Château Rayas, based just to the northeast of the hilltop town.
‘I would say I get inspiration from producers such as Rayas, but I would never try to emulate it,’ says Todd Alexander at Pášxa in Oregon. ‘Rayas is Rayas, and there is room for whatever I do to stand on its own as well. I drink, study and enjoy these other wines but I endeavour to make what I think are the best wines from the sites that I work with, without trying to copy anyone.
‘I only have my own vineyard to work with, and I believe in terroir, so no matter what I do there is going to be some inherent quality to the wines. The winemaking can augment those qualities, and I hope it does!’
Even if other Grenache winemakers wanted to emulate the style of Rayas, it wouldn’t be easy – winemaker Emmanuel Reynaud prefers to keep the mysteries of Rayas closely guarded.
McLaren Vale
South Australia
Despite its wealth of hot, dry vineyard land, Australia has similar levels of Grenache planted as California – 1,507ha, equating to just 1.1% of plantings (Wine Australia ‘Variety snapshot 2022’). About a quarter of this is found in the Barossa Valley, where it makes powerful examples that can be Rhône-like in their power and thrust, such as John Duval’s Annexus (2019, £49.95-£53.50 Alexander Hadleigh, Hedonism, KWM).
McLaren Vale is home to just an eighth of Australia’s Grenache vineyards, and along with Barossa, some of its oldest vines. Thanks to its slightly cooler climate and sandy soils, it makes wines of remarkable finesse, showing just how well this variety can express terroir – McLaren Vale Grenache has a unique profile all of its own. One of the most exciting producers is Yangarra, a biodynamic estate where Peter Fraser has been winemaker since 2000. He opts for long, gentle extraction for his top cuvées, and ages them in large, old wooden vats and ceramic eggs, which accentuates the purity of his old-vine Grenache.
‘McLaren Vale Grenache at its best has a vibrancy and brightness towards the primarily red fruit spectrum and it is very perfumed,’ says Fraser. ‘However, its most distinguishing character can be its fine line of acidity and tannin structure, which brings a wine of purity and precision. The closest comparison is some of the cutting-edge producers of Sierra de Gredos, but more from a minerality and tannin line.’
There is already burgeoning interest in sub-regional expressions, such as Blewitt Springs and Clarendon. It’s taken some time for Grenache to be taken seriously in Australia but with a warming climate and wines such as Yangarra’s High Sands guiding the way, perhaps the time has finally come for it to fulfil its undeniable potential. Other producers capturing the fine-sand textural nuances of McLaren Vale in their Grenaches include Thistledown, SC Pannell and MMAD – the new Blewitt Springs project from (DWWA Co-Chair) Michael Hill Smith MW and partners.
South Africa
Given that South Africa is the undisputed master of pure Cinsault, another southern Rhône grape capable of great finesse, I had high hopes for its pure Grenaches in my tasting. The hit rate however wasn’t as high as Australia or California, and regional differences weren’t so distinct. This could be down to the lack of old-vine material, or the fact that, despite a steady increase in plantings throughout the Cape over the past 10 years, it still doesn’t grow a great deal – 552ha in 2022 (SAWIS) placing it 11th on the country’s list of red plantings.
Once again, the pale, light extraction trend was strongly in evidence. Picking early can help to keep alcohol levels in check, which is a positive when it comes to Grenache, a grape that is notorious for its potency. But picking too soon can result in wines that lack depth, ageability and terroir expression. And when gentle, red-fruited styles of Grenache are combined with oak – such as many South African examples I tasted – the effect is an uneasy combination of sweet fruit and drying tannins.
There are, however, some excellent individual wines with nuance and complexity that prove great Grenache is possible here, it’s just taking a little longer for South Africa to find its voice. Despite technically being in three different wine regions, the three most impressive examples (Illimis, Pearl Mountain and AA Badenhorst) are grown close together in similar terroir: hot, inland vineyards of granite or slate to the northeast of Cape Town. A future hotspot for South African Grenache? It’s possible.
Roussillon
Southwest France
Nestled beneath the Pyrenees in southern France, the Roussillon is more or less halfway between Priorat in Catalonia, Spain, and the southern Rhône. This would be a good description of the typical style of Grenache here, too, if it wasn’t quite so varied. Historically the wines here were sweet and fortified, but the past few decades have seen dry wines rapidly take their place, and you can find everything from 12% vins de soif to 16% dry Port equivalents. With there being little in the way of inhibiting historical precedent, creativity can run wild.
One trend that’s common around the world with Grenache is whole-bunch fermentation. It’s not as ubiquitous in the Roussillon, but it can add texture, freshness and reduce alcohol levels, so it can be a welcome approach here.
Local masters of this method are brothers Benoît and Sébastien of biodynamic Domaine Danjou-Banessy. Their Estaca cuvée, from 130-year-old Grenache vines grown on slate, is atypically pale for a Roussillon Grenache, with mind-bendingly complex herbal aromas that are derived in part from using stems in their ferments. It’s unforgettable.
Those looking for darker, richer styles of Grenache will have to step carefully here to avoid elevated alcohols, but will find satisfaction with Domaine Singla, Mas de Lavail and Domaine Madeloc, the Collioure project of Côte-Rôtie maestro Pierre Gaillard.
Exploring Grenache: Walls’ top-scoring Grenache from around the world
See all 40 of Matt Walls’ recommended Grenache wines here
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Álvaro Palacios, Finca Dofí, Priorat, Catalonia, Spain, 2020
Dark in colour but not opaque. There’s exciting freshness on the nose, with no excessively ripe fruit or overt oak getting in the way. A rounded, spherical, mouth-filling wine, but there’s no heaviness, it’s remarkably fresh and fast on the palate for such a concentrated wine. Long, focused and precise, with that characteristic slatey minerality that Palacios spotlights with his Priorats. Powerful but not overly concentrated, with a natural vibrancy, expansiveness and mineral base that gives this wine its power and architecture. Raspberry-laced finish, but the fruit really is secondary to the extremely mineral expression.
2020
Álvaro PalaciosPriorat
Cayuse Vineyards, God Only Knows, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Oregon, USA, 2015
Such a wonderful nose, this still has great freshness and is beginning to open up, but needs more time really. Notes of raspberry, raspberry leaf, wild strawberry and rose. In the mouth it’s rounded, full and opulent but not fat, with orange peel on the finish, as well as cinnamon and dried rose petals. Long, complex and really quite divine. It will be fascinating to see how this develops.
2015
Cayuse VineyardsColumbia Valley
Cayuse Vineyards, God Only Knows, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Oregon, USA, 2019
Full-bodied, with plentiful sweet raspberry fruit. The whole-bunch element is controlled here, it's embedded into the wine and not excessive. Fresh herbal notes on the nose and palate, this is tightly wound for now but highly promising. Well balanced, not huge or massively concentrated – expect a charming, unoaked wine without excessive alcohol. Very good.
2019
Cayuse VineyardsColumbia Valley
No Girls, La Paciencia Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Oregon, USA, 2019
Some dark berry fruits help to keep the stemmier elements at bay, but there's still plenty of oregano in the background. Full-bodied, with a good sense of freshness along with the power. It’s full of brambly fruits and blackcurrant leaf. All tightly wound for now, but well balanced and extremely promising.
2019
No GirlsColumbia Valley
No Girls, La Paciencia Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Oregon, USA, 2015
Quite closed aromatically at the time of tasting. But there’s a wonderful presence and freshness on the palate, really deep and textural, like roots through the wine. The herbal, stem-derived elements are still strong, and always will be, but they're met with an opulent texture and ample wild strawberry fruit. A touch of blackberry, and a leafiness on the finish combined with a light bitter vein. A very interesting, imperfect and beguiling wine.
2015
No GirlsColumbia Valley
Yangarra, High Sands Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia, 2018
Great care has been taken in crafting this elite expression of Grenache from a rare old dry-grown McLaren Vale vineyard. Winemaker Peter Fraser captures a heady high-toned perfume of ripe berries and a hint of wild herbs, with a fine, clean palate and a long, beguiling flow of subtle flavour hits. The impact of the initial impression persists, with lean muscle in the structure enabling every nuance to ring clear and true.
2018
YangarraMcLaren Vale
Yangarra, Ovitelli Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia, 2019
Distinctly herbal, with a great sense of freshness and purity. Full, silky and flowing, but also particularly dry and tense. There’s a really palate-cleansing, fine-sand tannic draw across the palate on swallowing. This is special. It has real intensity and drive without excess weight, oak or alcohol – this is terroir. A great Grenache. Vineyard planted in 1946, dry-grown bush vines in sand. Fermented in big ceramic eggs.
2019
YangarraMcLaren Vale
Pášxa Wines, River Rock Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Oregon, USA, 2020
Pale coloured, with an aromatic register that sits between spice and flowers. It calls to mind cinnamon, raspberry and rose. Rounded in the mouth but not full-bodied, this is a spherical, polished style of Grenache with an inner ripe sweetness to the raspberry fruits, finishing dry. No invasive oak work here, and the alcohol feels balanced. Currently quite closed, but it will be fascinating to see this age. Delicious now, and the fine, satiny tannins need no time to soften. A very charming wine. Grown in The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA, 60% whole bunch, 15% new oak.
2020
Pášxa WinesColumbia Valley
Comando G, Rozas 1er Cru, Vinos de Madrid, Madrid, Spain, 2020
Gorgeous nose, exuding rose petals, violets, wood smoke and pine needles. Light-to medium-bodied, with very fine, almost imperceptible tannins, and vibrant acidity, leading to a tight, tense finish. Great finesse and balance, this is highly distinctive. It has intensity, but it’s light on its feet. Pure Grenache grown as bush vines on granite soils at 900m altitude.
2020
Comando GVinos de Madrid
Domaine Danjou-Banessy, Estaca, Côtes Catalanes, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, 2020
Strongly marked by whole-bunch fermentation, this is very herbal in style, with some extinguished bonfire and red cherry fruits. On the palate there’s lots of puppy fat, it’s full-bodied but fresh. Lifted finesse and schistous minerality. Rose petals come with air. A mysterious and beguiling wine, with complexity and secrets, from the single vineyard of Estaca. Beautiful 135-year-old Grenache vines on decomposed black schist with quartz and limestone in Espira-de-l’Agly. Not acidified, not chaptalised, no added yeast, unfined, unfiltered.
2020
Domaine Danjou-BanessyCôtes Catalanes
Mas Martinet, Els Escurçons, Priorat, Catalonia, Spain, 2018
Really quite ripe on the nose, with plum, prune and blackberry. A cheeky touch of VA doesn't do it any harm really. Slatey tannins give considerable grip. You can really sink your teeth into this, it's powerful, chewy and concentrated but has a fresh edge on the palate that keeps you coming back. Great depth of flavour and texture.
2018
Mas MartinetPriorat
Pášxa Wines, Rockgarden Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Oregon, USA, 2020
Not as pale as some contemporary Washington Grenaches. Enjoyably spicy, a touch of sumac over the strawberry fruits. Very ample and mouthfilling but not overly heavy, with a little rose that rises up on the palate. Silky textured, with fine, supple tannins that are barely perceptible and a tapered finish. Very attractive, I would drink this now with great pleasure.
2020
Pášxa WinesColumbia Valley
Railsback Frères, Cuvée Speciale Grenache Noir, Santa Barbara County, California, USA, 2020
A dark colour, but only slightly tinted, far from opaque. A gorgeous nose! This has some weight and concentration, but retains a light, fresh drinkability. With good depth of flavour, it’s well balanced and persistent. Smoky herbs and blackberry fruit. Really hot coating fruit and fine tannin, this is exceptional. So pure, so drinkable, characterful and satisfying. Nolan Ranch and Shokrian Vineyard, picked 1 and 4 October. 4,320 bottles produced.
2020
Railsback FrèresSanta Barbara County
Yangarra, Hickinbotham Clarendon Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia, 2020
A fairly pale but luminous purple-red in the glass. It’s full-bodied and mouthfilling with lots of puppy fat, vibrant raspberry and strawberry fruit and garrigue herbs. The keen, deep-set acidity feels natural, it’s low but balanced. This has layers and movement. Really quite fluid, with no heaviness. A sandy, mineral touch on the finish. This has complexity and depth, and will improve with age. From unirrigated bush vines planted in 1962 at 225m altitude. Fermented and matured in egg-shaped amphora.
2020
YangarraMcLaren Vale
4 Monos, Cien Lanzas, Vinos de Madrid, Madrid, Spain, 2019
Pale in colour. Blueberry and raspberry notes with sage in the background. Plump and broad on the palate. This plumpness is cut through with marked acidity, leading to a fresh, clean finish with a stony mineral feel, like licking a stone. Grown at 830m-960m altitude on granite soils.
2019
4 MonosVinos de Madrid
A Tribute to Grace, Highlands Vineyard Grenache, Santa Barbara County, California, USA, 2019
Very pale in colour. A compelling nose, so inviting and interesting, with notes of thyme, orange peel and black olive. So Provençal in flavour. Light-to medium-bodied, it has a roundness and generosity on the palate, finishing on more orange peel and some red berries. Highly drinkable, with some enjoyable grip and substance despite the light touch. From the Cuyama Valley, in the Sierra Madre mountains, at 1,050m altitude. Soils of decomposed granite and clay loam, with large rocks of schist, quartzite, basalt and gneiss. Vines planted in 2000. Fermented with native yeasts, foot-trodden daily for 12 days then pressed. 46% whole cluster, 11 months of élevage in French barriques and 500L puncheons.
2019
A Tribute to GraceSanta Barbara County
AA Badenhorst, Raaigras Grenache, Swartland, South Africa, 2021
Broad and generous, with ample puppy fat despite its pale hue. Subtle notes of red berries, redcurrant and cranberry, with a pimento spiciness. The fruit however is very discreet, suggesting this needs more time in bottle to open up. Real energy and grip on the saline finish. Texturally this is a serious wine, but will take many years to show its best. From the oldest Grenache vineyard in South Africa, a less than 1ha block planted in 1952 on decomposed granite soils.
2021
AA Badenhorst
Domaine Danjou-Banessy, Estaca, Côtes Catalanes, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, 2019
Very forward with the whole-bunch characteristics, with added wood ash, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and caraway. Full-bodied, there's some richness and generosity on the palate, leading to a neat, mineral finish. An elegant wine, complex, very much whole-bunch dominated, but certainly fresh and vibrant too. 135-year-old Grenache vines on decomposed black schist with quartz and limestone in Espira-de-l’Agly. Not acidified, not chaptalized, no added yeast, unfined and unfiltered.
2019
Domaine Danjou-BanessyCôtes Catalanes
Horsepower, Sur Echalas, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Oregon, USA, 2015
Not as dominated by whole-bunch characters as the 2019, this has complex notes of raspberry, cold ash and bay leaf. Rounded and juicy, with appealing ripe strawberry notes among the oregano and bay. There's a touch of greenness on the finish, but this has complexity and interest.
2015
HorsepowerColumbia Valley
Illimis Wines, Grenache Noir, Wellington, South Africa, 2021
Very pale, not far off a rosé in colour. A cascade of raspberries: fresh, in jam, and candied. Fairly full-bodied and generous despite the pale colour, with really vibrant, natural-feeling acidity. This has layers and interest, and has a lovely sense of purity and drinkability. Not complex, but textural and alive, tight and energetic. A wine which combines the pale, bright, red-fruited style with impact, energy and intensity. Bush vines grown in Wellington by Lucinda Heyns.
2021
Illimis Wines
MMAD Vineyard, Grenache, McLaren Vale, Blewitt Springs, South Australia, Australia, 2021
Reticent on the nose for now, but appealingly fresh berry fruits swirl out with air. Full-bodied without any excess weight, an ethereal style. Very fine but noticeable tannins cover the tip of your tongue. A Grenache of real class, thanks to its wonderfully silky, fine-sand tannins, and a little salt on the finish. Old vines grown in sandy, iron-rich clay soils.
2021
MMAD VineyardMcLaren Vale
Pearl Mountain, Flight of the Drongo, Paarl, South Africa, 2020
Very pale in colour, with flinty smoky notes. There’s a tiny spritz that would disappear with a decant, but I find it refreshing. Dry, with a zesty, red-fruited finish, featuring raspberry, orange peel and tea leaves. Easy to drink and enjoy despite its breadth on the palate thanks to an inner freshness and keen balance. This has a delicacy and crystalline texture that sets it apart. Minimal extraction and intervention during winemaking.
2020
Pearl Mountain
Thistledown, Sands of Time Old Vine Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia, 2021
This has a good sense of freshness and precision. It has the characteristic sweet strawberry fruit of ripe Grenache with a touch of menthol underneath. Graceful, rounded, the tannins are subtle and discreet. Just perfectly balanced. Hard to imagine how it will age, but I suspect it will be interesting with more time in bottle. Delicious now though. Has the finesse and characteristic energy of Grenache on sand, and a long finish. From 75-year-old bush vines.
2021
ThistledownMcLaren Vale
A Tribute to Grace, Shake Ridge Ranch, Sierra Foothills, California, USA, 2018
Very pale in colour, with an appealing herbal raspberry and wild strawberry nose. It’s light-bodied, with low acidity, fine, sandy tannins and a good natural balance. It has more length than many California Grenaches, and a good sense of freshness and purity. No great complexity at this stage, but very well balanced and well made. From Sierra Foothills, Amador County. Vines planted in 2009. Fermented with native yeasts, foot-trodden daily for 10 days then pressed. 75% whole bunch, 10 months in neutral French 220-litre barrels.
2018
A Tribute to GraceSierra Foothills
Birichino, Besson Vineyard Grenache, Central Coast, California, USA, 2019
Sage, cherries and a touch of charcoal on the nose, this is enlivening and inviting. Medium-bodied, fresh and dry but not mean, with thrilling acidity. Not hugely concentrated, with slight tannins. A very modern expression, confidently done. Vines planted in 1910, ungrafted, on granite soils, unfiltered.
2019
BirichinoCentral Coast
Comando G, La Bruja, Vinos de Madrid, Gredos, Spain, 2021
This smells of smoked sausage and woodsmoke, hot sand and woody herbs. It’s soft and yielding on the palate, medium-bodied, with a good sense of tension. Potpourri and dried rose petals on the medium-length finish. It has a good sense of focus and energy, and is drinkable and well balanced. The tannins are like fine sand. Very moreish. Grown on granite soils at 850m altitude.
2021
Comando GVinos de Madrid
Domaine Madeloc, Serral, Collioure, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, 2020
Earthy, meaty, herbal nose – intensely savoury. Dark chocolate too – this is complex and intriguing. Full-bodied, not overly heavy or tannic, with real depth of fruit. Remarkably balanced for a wine of these proportions, and a long finish laced with blackberry pâte de fruit and prune. Ripe and powerful. By northern Rhône winemaker Pierre Gaillard and his daughter Elise.
2020
Domaine MadelocCollioure
Fine Disregard, Altas Piedras Grenache, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley, California, USA, 2018
Pale with a watery rim. A wonderful nose! Full of caraway and cumin, this is highly unusual, with some subtle black cherry fruit in the background. Light-bodied, fresh and delicate with good acidity. No great length or concentration, but bright and expressive. I would drink this now. Very on trend!
2018
Fine DisregardSonoma County
Geyer Wine Co, Sands Grenache, Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia, 2022
A wonderfully expressive, peppery, herbal nose, clearly whole-bunch fermented and young with it. Juniper in the background and sweet raspberry underneath the herbs. Full but not heavy, very Grenache in its ample texture. Quite a rollercoaster, really fun and expressive with sandy tannins.
2022
Geyer Wine CoBarossa Valley
Kings Carey, Spear Vineyards Grenache, Santa Barbara County, Santa Rita Hills, California, USA, 2019
As pale as a rosé. This has a lovely nose, showing pure English strawberries. Light-bodied and fresh, with no tannin to speak of. A perfectly precise acid line cuts through it, but it's not sharp or aggressive. It’s drinkable, with a dry, savoury finish. Its pale colour, lack of tannin and acidity will surprise those that don't know what to expect. But if you do, this is a fun and intriguing bottle to try. Single-vineyard wine, grown organically.
2019
Kings CareySanta Barbara County
