Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Value Rocks Grenache, 1/17/2018

  (Renegade Grenache) Hello friends. We have the return today of a wine that has become a list mainstay; a true expression of (mostly) rocks Grenache from the Walla Walla Valley:According to our records, this is the seventh consecutive vintage of this wine that we’ve offered—every vintage it’s been released since it’s 2009 debut. Why? Because it is exceedingly rare to find Washington Grenache at $15. Especially one with a backbone from rocks district fruit. Before we get into it, a quick reminder of what the Renegade program is all about. So, imagine a winery sitting on barrels of wine that they don’t want to release under their own label. There are a myriad of reasons why this could be the case. Regardless, Trey Busch (whose main label is Sleight of Hand Cellars) purchases the barrels, bottles the wine under his Renegade label, and frequently signs a non-disclosure agreement regarding the source of the juice. Here’s what we can disclose about this Grenache: 1. The foundation of this wine is the rocks district of the Walla Walla Valley. Specifically, one vineyard in the rocks. 2. The rocks vineyard sells fruit to a very small number of wineries, all of them among the finest Rhone producers in Washington. The majority of this juice came from one of those three wineries. 3. This wine was aged longer than previous vintages—20 months in neutral barrels. 4. This is delicious Grenache, evocative of its unique origins: the ancient cobbles of the Walla Walla River. 2015 completed the hot, hotter, hottest trend for Washington and has proved to be another outstanding vintage for value wines. Because it was both high-quality and high-yield, a lot of excess juice normally destined for higher-end bottlings was cascaded down to the value tier, like Renegade. The biggest winners in this situation: us. Clocking in at 14.5% listed alc, this wine opens with an enchanting, redolent nose. It begins with wild red raspberry, a bouquet of lavender and violet, black olive, cracked pink peppercorns, bundled mediterranean herbs, and smoke. In the mouth, what you notice right away is a sense of ease—the complete lack of rough edges. This is a silken, easy drinker, such a charming wine texturally that it goes down a little too easy. But be advised, you’ll like this wine best if you show some glugging restraint, for there is hidden complexity in spades. A touch of gamey meat. A tinge of herbal smoke. This is characterful, well-priced Grenache that fits the bill for every occasion, from weeknight take-out to an all-day weekend braise. In my house, we’ll pair this with stuffed eggplant with lamb and pine nuts from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's cookbook, Jerusalem.