Grenache!

Tasted Saturday, February 7, 2009 by jrobs7777 with 572 views

Flight 1 (1 Note)

Flight 2 (1 Note)

  • 2005 Kilikanoon Grenache Prodigal 90 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

    Deep purple color. Very big nose of black cherry, sweet spice (clove), white pepper, black pepper and plum. Some currant and black fruit. Some at the tasting observed that it had a medicinal or "Church wine" type profile. Nice black fruit on the palate with the spice mixing well. The finish is slightly hot and not particularly long. This wine showed very well in the tasting and at under $25, it is an exceptional value. It was on an even level or superior to several more expensive offerings.

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Flight 3 (1 Note)

  • 2006 Bodegas Borsao Garnacha Campo de Borja Tres Picos 88 Points

    Spain, Aragón, Campo de Borja

    At this price point, it stood up exceptionally well at the blind tasting. Nice oak nose -- American oak was the guess. Vanilla, smoke, wood and cured meat were prominent on the nose. Tannins were coarse and it had a tang to it. Less spice than the Kilikanoon, which was the first wine of the night, but there was some pepper and even a more savory Paprika note. A nice long finish - a superb finish for this price point. As with many wines this night, the Grenache flavor profile was off putting to some.

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Flight 4 (1 Note)

  • 2004 Alban Vineyards Grenache Alban Estate Vineyard 86 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

    Not a particularly good showing for this high profile Parker favorite. Sweet jammy nose with notes of red licorice, sweet fruit (pomegranate) and a touch of cigar and tobacco. The nose did not translate to the palate. I found the wine to be watery on the palate, resembling watered down Port. Not particularly thick or coating in the mouth. The finish was long, but there was a good amount of heat on the finish. More was expected of this wine. It was not smooth and had an unpopular finish.

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Flight 5 (1 Note)

  • 2006 Mas Amiel Grenache Côtes du Roussillon Rouge 87 Points

    France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon

    This was easily identified as the French village Grenache in the tasting. While it did not stand up to some of the new world offerings in terms of power, it had a certain finesse that makes it an appealing every day drinker. A nice rustic nose that was pure French. Garrigue, tree bark, wet wool and floral notes. A touch of licorice. The palate was plain but enjoyable and easy drinking. No tannins evident. This had a surprisingly nice finish.

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Flight 6 (1 Note)

  • 2006 Mas Amiel Côtes du Roussillon Villages Notre Terre 89 Points

    France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Villages

    Coincidentally, this followed the Mas Amiel generic Grenache. The Notre Terre is a Grenache heavy blend and definitely has more complexity and substance than the plain Grenache. Nice nose of black cherry, plum, prune, leather and oak. Good combination of cherries, cream and vanilla on the palate and some good thickness to the wine in the mouth. The appealing same rustic French profile is evident in this wine. There is a lot to like about this old world offering at a very nice price point.

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Flight 7 (1 Note)

  • 2005 Bodegas y Viñedos del Jalón Calatayud Las Pizarras 87 Points

    Spain, Aragón, Calatayud

    Probably the most controversial wine of the night, as the opinions were wide ranging. Brighter color than most of the deeper colored Grenaches we tasted. The nose was off putting to some, with a curious stale ice note and a prevalent medicinal note. Otherwise, the nose was bright with red fruit. This was very well balanced on the palate and was quite smooth, although there was at least one observation that there was a noticeable vinegar note. The palate was earthy with mushrooms and dirt, which led us to believe that it could have been a CdP. The consensus was that this was a disappointing effort, but a few of us enjoyed this wine and ranked it in the middle.

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Flight 8 (1 Note)

  • 2003 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul 88 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Things got interesting in our blind tasting with this wine followed by 3 more solid wines to finish. The group had been generally underwhelmed by Grenache up to this point. This wine followed by the remaining three offered good diversity and unique flavor profiles. That said, this was the "4th best" of the last 4. The nose was briny and salty, prompting one observation that it smelled of uncooked fish. There was some nice sweet spice and pepper. The palate was a bit underwhelming and had an off putting "blood" taste. There was, however, some good fruit, pepper and spice. This was quite tannic and sour at times, and was not an easy nut to crack. A very nice long finish.

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Flight 9 (1 Note)

  • 2003 Sine Qua Non Li'l E 96 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast

    This was a wow wine! Deep dark color. The nose was exceptional. Dark brooding fruit, black cherry, vanilla (vanilla ice cream?), cinnamon, brown sugar. This had a Port-like quality on the nose with pleasant sweetness. It had a definite new world profile and some immediately associated this with the first wine in the tasting (later revealed to be the Kilikanoon) and noted that wine number one was similar, but less muscular than this effort. On the palate, this had everything you could want. Great fruit, sweet holiday spices and super complexity and thickness. It had an exceptionally long finish and enough tannic structure to age for several more years. Wine of the night.

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Flight 10 (1 Note)

  • 2005 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 95 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    This was an excellent wine and stood up very well coming right after the SQN Lil 'E. Very different profile -- clearly old world. Nose of cinnamon, smoke, wood, charred earth and cloves. Unique on the palate, with one observation that it was antiseptic tasting, but not in a bad way. Bright fruit with that rustic French profile. Good amounts of oak, vanilla and wood on the palate mixed well with red cherry. Exceptional finish with the fruit and oak blending perfectly. This is drinking very well right and should continue to perform at this level for several years.

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Flight 11 (1 Note)

  • 2005 Torbreck Grenache Les Amis 91 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

    Not quite up to the 05 Donjon and SQN Lil 'E, but a very good effort. Wonderful nose of chocolate, currant, black fruit, plum and salt. Very thick mouthfeel and has a Port-like profile. The new world Grenache profile definitely had its detractors, with consistent comments throughout with respect to the new world wines. This did not have the complexity on the palate that I would have expected after the nose. Good chocolate, cherry and a chewy character. There was tannic structure here and the tannins were a slight distraction at times, hiding some of the flavors. This had a good finish, but coming after the previous two blind wines, the finish did not stack up. A nice wine, but on the high side of the price spectrum.

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Flight 12 (1 Note)

  • 1980 Mas Amiel Maury Vintage 95 Points

    France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Maury

    Absolutely stunning conclusion to the Grenache tasting. This has a wow nose! Smoke, chocolate, tobacco and cedar are prominent, with underlying toffee, caramel and butterscotch. Really dynamic, deep and dark brown color. Some dark fruits hiding in there as well. This was incredibly smooth on the palate with the smoke, chocolate and caramel working in perfect harmony. Not a blemish along the way. Super complexity and thickness. The finish falls off a bit in the end, but this is an absolutely wonderful effort. Stacking this up against a vintage Port would be an interesting tasting.

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