Grenache Smackdown

This time the scene and grape may have changed, but pain and humiliation of bringing a bad bottle still remained the same as did the smack talk leading into the event and as the reveals happened. There were many smackdown vets in attendence, but we also had some new blood to throw into the fire of the smackdown.

As always, the wines are blind and assigned letters. This time we did announce wines beforehand, so the bar was set extremely high

I'll give the overall averaged scores in the flight notes

• 2008 Jemrose Viognier Egret Pond 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  nose: plush and oily tones form the base on this succulent nose that provides succulent tones of white peaches, soft tropical citrus tones, and a good amount of white floral tones that add a real nice feminine touch to this wine
  
  taste: wonderful and oily medium-full feel with delicious tones of peaches, white florals, oils, and bits of tangy citrus fruits. What makes this on the palate is the fatness of it and the balance at the same time
  
  overall: A very pretty and lovely Viognier that has a Condrieu feel to it. There could be a bit more depth and layering on the nose that would really bring this wine to a different level. That said, this is an extremely high quality and seductive Viognier that is well worth checking out

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• 2001 Weingut Fritz-Josef Schwibinger Niersteiner Ölberg Riesling Spätlese 91 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  nose: a light and tasty nose of petrol, green apples, a good amount of stone fruits, and tones of pears with a mineral undertone
  
  taste: really good and fresh flavors of green apples, stone fruits, pears and bits of peaches. Excellent medium+ acidity accompanies it that adds a nice zesty component
  
  overall: a wonderfully drinking riesling. Can certainly go much further, but is outstanding right now that makes it really fresh

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• 1998 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Rotes Tor 91 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  nose: great nose of honey, brioche, fresh picked lemons, and lovely tones of peach blossoms. excellent depth with great mature layering at this point. Mature, but far from over the hill as there was great balance on the nose
  
  taste: lovely and airy tones of meyer lemons, brioche, fresh picked lemons, tangy citrus tones, and pretty tones of peach blossoms. Very silky medium/light feel with medium acidity that still supports the wine
  
  overall: a mature white, and lovely. Well balanced with great depth, I love drinking aged whites as they bring flavors that are very interesting and complex, and this one fully fits the bill

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Averages:

A:91.2
B:90.6
C: corked/flawed
D: 82.4(Imo a flawed bottle, but because not corked we had to give it a score)

the Clos Erasmus was the loser of the smackdown

• 2004 Clarendon Hills Grenache Romas 93 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Clarendon

  nose: deep and rich nose with great tones of black cherry liqueur, kirsch, black fruits, roast beef, and bits of mesquite sauce. Excellent depth with great purity on the nose too give this a real sexynes to it
  
  taste: plush and velvety medium/full feel with rich tones of black fruits, black cherry liqueur, tones of roast beef, and bits of black pepper that shows up right on the finish. Great depth with the plush tones that make this very attractive on the palate
  
  overall: a beautiful grenache. What made this for me was the velvety feel and stylish nose that held both great fruit and some bits of CdP-like tones to it at the same time. Definitely a very stylish Greanache that is well worth checking out

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• 2007 Jemrose Grenache Foggy Knoll 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  nose: very red fruit based nose with excellent tones of red fruits, red licorice, bits of herbs, and loads of red cherries. Has a real tartness to the nose with good purity at the same time and good depth
  
  taste: nice and silky medium/full feel with rich tannins and well defined tones of red fruits, red licorice, and a good helping of red cherries. Well balanced tones, but lacking a bit on the mid-palate with the tannins getting in the way a bit
  
  overall: this was a gratis wine from smackdown Vet Jim Mack. I've enjoyed this much more on two other occasions and one of those times was blind. It will probably take another 2 years to really take form as there are excellent materials here

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• 1998 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée Flawed

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

  corked, damn. No mistaking it

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• 2003 Clos Erasmus Priorat Flawed

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  nose: horribly disjointed nose that is all over the place with weird tones of plastic and wood
  
  taste: disjointed and out of whack on the palate too
  
  overall: this made two flawed bottles in a row, c'est la vie. Since it wasn't corked, it was scored for the placing purposes

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E: 90.6
F: 87.6
G: 90.2
H: 90.1

This flight gave us the third place loser with the 03 Charvin

• 2005 Betts & Scholl Grenache Chronique 92 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  nose: rich and very bold nose of black fruits, black cherries, liqueur tones, bits of herbs and a good helping of black licorice. Good depth and expression with a real dark profile to it
  
  taste: silky and polished nose with rich tones of black fruits, liqueur tones, black licorice and some dark spices. Excellent medium body with good depth and a good amount of richness to it
  
  overall: a really good showing. has a good amount of polish to it with a good richness to it that adds a bit more to it.

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• 2003 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91 Points

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

  nose: a good amount of funk on the nose with bold and well defined tones roast beef, black licorice, black pepper, kirsch and dark tones of black cherries. Good depth, and very CdP, but with an amped up aspect to the tones a bit and much more on the dark side of the spectrum
  
  taste: really good and silky medium feel that is polished, but with rich tannins and well balanced tones of roast beef, black cherries, black pepper and some tones of melted black licorice, and dark red fruits. Its lacking a bit on the mid palate as the flesh is more upfront and on the finish, so some time should work it out
  
  overall: lots of promise, but the tannins were a bit sneaky right now and weren't letting the wine really shine. Good balance with a real dark profile that does have a bit of a hard edged quality to it. Time should smooth it out a bit and add some extra depth

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• 2007 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin 90 Points

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

  nose: real sexy purity on the nose with well balanced tones of red licorice, red fruits, red cherries and red currants. Excellent balance with good depth, but seems to be holding back a bit though it has good purity to it
  
  taste: very young and pure medium feel with good tones of red fruits, red cherries, and red currants. Has a lot of polish, but not enough depth and seems to be a bit too slick on the palate
  
  overall: a disappointment. When I tasted it out of the bottle, it came across as having more depth and a real sexy style to it. While this didn't come across as simple by any means, there was a lack of depth on it at this time and came across as extremely young

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• 1999 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 2nd Release 93 Points

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

  nose: real dark and meaty with great depth and a good helping of funk with a touch of brett to it that provide dark tones of red fruits, melted licorice, black and white pepper. Definitely a nose that appeals to a more old world fan and is a nose that could be polarizing, but certainly appeals to me
  
  taste: real good tannins let you know that this is still quite a young wine with a more medium/full body feel and deep tones of black cherries, roast beef, dark red fruits, black and white pepper
  
  overall: This will probably really start hitting its stride in another 3-5 years as this has had some serious stuffing both times I've had it and has had a feeling of slightly holding back right now. A very old world styled wine that works great for me, but I can see how this wouldn't work for some

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I: 93.3
J: 90.8
K: 92.6
L: 93.9

this was easily FOTN. Had the WOTN(the Saxum), the No.3 of the Night (Clarendon Hills), and the fourth wine (the clos martinet)

I was just 7 total pts away from tying the Clarendon Hills and at least getting a share of third, but alas, it was not to be

• 2001 Clarendon Hills Grenache Old Vines Romas 93 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Clarendon

  nose: succulent and rich nose with some heady tones of red and black cherries, herbal spices, black fruits, and melted licorice. Excellent depth with a real great purity to it and real class to it at the same time
  
  taste: very refined medium feel that gives into pure and polished tones of roasted meats on the backend with tones of red and black cherries, herbs, and tones of melted licorice
  
  overall: a real lovely and attractive grenache. I really liked the purity on this and it just came across as very classy with good depth and a great expression of tones on both the nose and palate

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• 2001 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 94 Points

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

  Nose: heady, deep, and pure with some good power behind and that give into well balanced tones of dark red cherries, white and black pepper, red florals, garrigue, a touch of rosemary and thyme, and some tones of dark red fruits. Well melded together that wants to scream but just doesn't have the oomph behind it just yet to do what it wants to do
  
  taste: an extremely sexy medium feel flows well on the palate with pure tones of dark red fruits, herbs de provence, red florals, and some bits of black pepper. While it has a medium feel, there is a robustness to it at the same time with real classy depth at this young point
  
  overall: This has a lot of ability to be a tremendous wine in the future and is on the verge right now. The feel and depth are there, the tones just need to really want to expressive themselves fully yet. There's lots to like with this wine as the tannins were still making themselves known to let you know that there is still some patience that is to be required

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• 2000 Mas Martinet Priorat Clos Martinet 93 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  nose: extremely pungent and well balanced with good deep tones of leather, black fruits, black cherry liqueur tones, plums and some real dark spices to accompany it. Real classy with excellent depth that kept up in the company of the best flight of the evening
  
  taste: deep and rich with a more medium/full feel and silky tannins to accompany the wine with smooth and rounded tones of black fruits, leather, black cherry liqueur, bits of tobacco, and some dark plum tones with a bit of dark spices
  
  overall: a really good showing. Showed an interesting and developed profile that is right in its stride right now. Not a real blow away wine, but extremely balanced and enjoyable at this time

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• 2005 Saxum Cuvée Rocket Block James Berry Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles Willow Creek District

  nose: very rich and powerful nose that is extremely ripe that is chock full of black fruits, black cherries, plums, and black currants. Very big and ripe with some heat on the nose, but the heat isn't getting in the way too much and the fruit was certainly there, but held itself too
  
  taste: massive and full bodied on the palate that is filled with ripe tones of black fruits, black cherries, plums, and all sorts of dark berries. Extremely rich and ripe on the palate, but not too much heat either
  
  overall: a big and juicy grenache based wine. Ripe without being overdone, this is big and rich and doesn't mess around at all

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M: 89.8
N: 89.9
O: 90.7
P: 90.3

• 2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points

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

  nose: has a real cool and laid back sense to it with well balanced tones of black fruits, roast beef, liqueur, and licorice tones. Great depth and balance on the nose that is really enticing
  
  taste: succulent medium feel with really good tannins and well balanced tones of black fruits, liqueur tones, licorice tones, and a good amount of dark red cherries move well across the palate
  
  overall: Comes across as young and in an in-between stage, it had excellent aromatics and depth, but they were hanging back a bit and not really giving their full effort at this time

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• 1997 Ridge Grenache Lytton Estate 88 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

  nose: a bit stewed and kind of rasiny with some bolder tones of black fruits, black cherries, and black currants. The stewed profile was bothering and it had decent depth that rescued it a bit
  
  taste: big tannins still with a decent medium feel, but stewed tones of dark plums, black fruits, black cherries, and black currants with some raisiny tones too. While it still has plenty of fruit and tannin, this came across as an over ripe 03 CdP
  
  overall: the stewed profile was off-putting, but the wine still possesed good qualities to it. Hard to say how much longer this would need, or if it never will be in a sense

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• 2002 Yangarra Estate Old Vine Grenache 92 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  nose: juicy and ripe nose filled with black fruits, liqueur tones, black cherries and dark red fruits with a touch of red fruits. Good depth and filling with good balance and fruit
  
  taste: very full bodied on the palate with tones of black licorice, black fruits, liqueur tones, and black cherries. Ripe tones on the palate with that is filling with good weight on the palate
  
  overall: a real quality grenache. Very new world with ripe fruit, but is balanced out and has good depth. Has seemed to do well with a touch of age on it as there is quality balance on the nose and its not too ripe or overtly stewed like some aussie grenaches can be

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• 2003 Mas Doix Priorat Salanques 93 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  nose: real good nose with some funk and black fruits along with tones of black licorice, hoison, roasted meats, and black cherries with some hints of brett. Excellent depth and polish on the nose with a real good dark side to it that provides an attractive base to it
  
  taste: excellent medium/full body with good tannins and well balanced tones of black fruits, black licorice, hoison sauce, roasted meats, black cherries and some hints of perfumes on the back end
  
  overall: a real quality wine. Great depth and expression,this was more for old world tastes as this had a funky side to it, but it was extremely expressive and the dark profile of it made it very attractive

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Q: 89.4
R: 91.1
S: 91.2
T: 89.6

• 2001 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 89 Points

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

  nose: nice and solid nose of roasted meats, black fruits, black licorice and black cherries. Good black fruited profile, but isn't giving up as much depth as other wines as it just comes across as more run of the mill in this group
  
  taste: good tannins with a medium/full feel and very good tones of black licorice, dark red fruits, black cherries, and tones of black fruits. Not much layering on the palate and decent depth
  
  overall: a real shocker when revealed. This came across as a fairly standard CdP as opposed to one that should really show off what CdP can be. Maybe this bottle was in a dumbphase as most of the group had it as a run of the mill grenache

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• 2004 Pax Cuvée Moriah 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  nose: alluring and succulent tones of black cherries, pepper, black fruits, dark red fruits, and various herbs and spices. Very pretty with good depth and expression that really draws you into the wine
  
  taste: has a young and exuberant feel with delicious medium tones of black cherries, pepper, dark red fruits, along with various herbs and spice tones. Very polished on the palate with good silky tannins
  
  overall: may need a little more time, but this certainly was a lovely wine at the present and was very well balanced. There is just a flat out deliciousness that is easy to drink and extremely enjoyable

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• 2007 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 87 Points

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

  nose: very nice nose of red fruits, red licorice, and red cherries. This is lacking some depth and is rather simple in a sense
  
  taste: good medium feel with nice tannins and tones of red cherries, red licorice, red currants and red fruits. Doesn't have a lot of depth and is fairly simple
  
  overall: this was a eye-opener, and not in a good way. Hard to really say what happened or if its a representative bottle, but this was simple and some did love this at the tasting. Looking at the spreadsheet, it was pretty much between those who loved this and those who felt it was non-descript

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• 2000 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 93 Points

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

  nose: gorgeous and perfumed nose with deep tones of white and black pepper, black cherries, black licorice, garrigue. Very lifting and pretty nose that has a more feminine style to it that makes it extremely intoxicating and lovely
  
  taste: plush medium feel with good tannins and tones of dark red cherries, white and black pepper, black cherries, and lots of tones of garrigue. Lovely and feminine on the palate that has a very sexy feel
  
  overall: really coming into its own from the last time I had this. The feminine styling of the wine and the openess on both the nose and palate were very enticing and made it a quite enjoyable wine for me right now. Can still go much longer, but one wouldn't be faulted for opening one right now

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U: 90.3
V: 93.3
W: 87.4

We had both the second place wine in this and the second loser place in this flight, with the SQN Raven taking second place and somehow the Vatican Sixtine taking second to last

• 2004 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91 Points

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

  nose: real good and succulent nose of white pepper, black fruits, dark red fruits, and rich tones of garrigue. Really good depth and class to the wine
  
  taste: very classy and reserved tones of melted licorice, garrigue, white pepper, black fruits, and a good load of dark cherries with a touch of leathery funk along with it. Good tannins support the wine too with a real good medium feel
  
  overall: this was very young, and under these circumstances I didn't have the time to spend with it I did the previous week. This is the kind of wine that is excellent, but ma not work all that well in this kind of blind setting

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• 2006 Sine Qua Non Grenache Raven Series 95 Points

  USA, California

  nose: big, bold, and rich nose filled with black pepper, herbs, black cherries galore, slight bits of roasted meats, all sorts of black fruits, and tones of thistles. Very perfumed and bold, but not over extracted. Very new world, but with an eye towards the old world too and loads of depth on the nose too
  
  taste: a beautifully seamless medium feel that glides across the palate with polished and silky tones of herbs, black cherries, black fruits, dark red fruits, and hints of roasted meats. Wonderful depth that is just beautiful and heady at the same time
  
  overall: a beautiful and polished grenache. For me this really stuck out in a pretty big pack. Loads of quality and polish, this is just so juicy and delicious that one would be very hard not to pop it now. Certainly showed off its prestige and easily lived up to it

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• 2000 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Sixtine 92 Points

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

  nose: real nice and dark meaty nose filled with black fruits, black cherries, liqueur tones, roast beef, some bits of hoison sauce and a touch of funk on the nose to boot. Excellent depth, and I like the dark and somewhat funky style to it
  
  taste: excellent medium/full body with a real sexy feel to it and dark tones of roast beef, roasted meats, black cherries, liqueur tones, and some bits of leather and funk on the back end. Good tannins, but comes across as relatively ready to drink
  
  overall: I was one of the few that enjoyed this wine. Was right up my alley as I enjoy the dark and meaty style of CdP, and in this competition, it was more amplified then if it was with a bunch of its CdP bretheren

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X: 90.4
Y: 91.2
Z: 91.4

the final flight, and we were starting to rush a bit towards the end as we had already one through a lot of wine

• 2005 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points

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

  nose: excellent depth and intriguing nose of framboise, black cherries, black licorice, some funky tones, a whole lot of garrigue, and a good amount of black and white pepper. Extremely perfumed, but with a presence about it that takes command. Certainly young, but one can see some serious promise on this
  
  taste: well balanced and silky medium/full feel with good tannins and melded tones of garrigue, leather, black pepper, black cherries and some dark red fruits. Very youthful on the palate and it doesn't want to fully give what it can give, but the quality is certainly on display right now
  
  overall: This hits all the spots I enjoy about CdPs. Has a real presence about it, but with a nuanced nature to this that may require some serious cellar time to truly blossom. Should be a fun one to track over the years

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• 2004 Alban Vineyards Pandora 93 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

  nose: very deep, powerful, and rich nose with a good amounts of black fruits, plums, black currants, and black cherries. Very ripe and big that has good depth and is bordering on being over ripe, but holding there just
  
  taste: extremely big and rich with ripe tones of black fruits, black cherries dark red berries. Very full and holds its style relatively well
  
  overall: it may helped in a sense that this was the last wine of the smackdown. The ripeness was able to stand out and it was hard to get much heat at this point. Not really my kind of style, but it does it extremely well

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• 2001 Clarendon Hills Grenache Old Vines Kangarilla 90 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Clarendon

  nose: excellent nose that is undeniably australian as it struck of mint and eucalyptus right off the bat along with tones of black fruits, liqueur, and dark red fruits. Very nice nose, but doesn't have that extra level of depth that other wines had during the evening
  
  taste: good medium/full feel with excellent tones of mint, black fruits, dark red cherries, and bits of liqueur tones
  
  overall: A quality grenache, but was very middle of the pack in the field. It has good depth and quality of tones, but doesn't really do anything amazing, but has excellent balance with really good tones on both nose and palate.

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• 1998 Alois Kracher Scheurebe TBA #12 Zwischen den Seen 94 Points

  Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee

  nose: wonderfully rich and honeyed nose that is very deep that also brings lush tones of caramel, and green apples with some bits of pears. Very sleek on the nose while having good levels of layering
  
  taste: excellent full body with a real richness to it and delicious tones of apricots, pears, caramel, honey, and bits of green apples. While rich, its not close to cloying and has great balance to it
  
  overall: a wonderful Kracher. Very well layered with the right level of sweetness at this time, but with really good medium acidity to also hold it for a good while longer. A real great way to cap the tasting

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A great night. I'm came within a .5 overall of gaining a third place. Oh well, at least this time I didn't get second to last as that group of cretinous yak palates could recognize a quality cote rotie, bitter still, maybe.

Anyway, The winner and loser this year were the 05 Saxum Rocket Block and the loser was the 03 Clos Erasmus, with KenK earning a future yak tounge for bringing the clos earasmus

The quality of the field was extremely high and it was a very close battle. Thanks to Wally for hosting and thanks to mel for doing a great job with the food. As always, a lot of laughs were had was a great time overall. Look forward to the next one, whatever it may be