WWC (Women's Wine Club) Grenache Tasting
Olivia's apartment
Tasted Saturday, January 26, 2013 by TashNYC with 639 views
Introduction
Thanks to Margaret's organizing, we tasted 10 grenache-based wines at Olivia's house, combined with lots of food and good company
2011 Boekenhoutskloof The Wolftrap Rosé 88 Points
South Africa, Western Cape
Poured by April. Blend of grenache, cinsaut and syrah. Bright pink in color. Nose of strawberry and spice, with a similar palette.
Not earth-shattering, but I thought this was a nice wine. Would be good in the summer -- and perhaps a little better in a pinot noir glass.
WS says $11 retail. I saw it on-line for as little as $6.99 (Union Square Wines, NYC, 2011). Great QPR for $7.
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2010 Bodegas Borsao Garnacha Campo de Borja Tres Picos 88 Points
Spain, Aragón, Campo de Borja
Poured by Joanne. Lots of spicy fruit on the nose and palette. Fruit forward, with lots of blackberries plus some raspberries.
This might show a little better with 6-12 months more of bottle age. She said retail $18 in Manhattan.
I saw it on-line for $11-12 (Gary's, Wine Legend, Wine Library & PJs in Upper Manhattan: very good QPR at that price).
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2010 Domaine Charvin Vin de Pays de la Principauté d'Orange 'à côté' 85 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Vin de Pays de la Principauté d'Orange
Poured by Annie B: This was a blend of grenache and merlot. I felt as if they were fighting each other -- and not nicely, at all!
Quite a tannic wine with some dark fruit and some herbal notes, too. And a nose of meat plus a touch of funk / old leather.
This wine was really interesting, but just didn't come together for me.
I read some critic says Charvin is closest to Chateau Rayas -- but I couldn't find Rayas, here. Maybe better with some grilled meat or charcuterie???
Anyway, my score is low and most people seem to like this wine much better than I did. Retails $12-$13 on-line
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2009 Vinícola del Priorat Priorat Ònix Clássic 92 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
Poured by Leslie G: What a delicious wine! Color was very deep and dark.
Taste was lots of dark fruits, too, especially blackberries and with some spice and a touch of black pepper, too.
I would have loved to have this wine with a meal and over the course of a couple of hours, to see how it changed.
Blend was 50% grenache and 50% carignan. Great QPR for $17 in nyc.
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2011 Altovinum Evodia 88 Points
Spain, Aragón, Calatayud
Poured by Jen J: This is an old vines grenache, with vines 100 years old.
I thought the nose was just lovely but the wine a little more subdued. Maybe needs some more time in the bottle?
Notes of red fruit, raspberries, cedar, some tannins. I was more impressed when I looked up the retail on-line: $7-$9 and great QPR for that.
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2010 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Parallèle “45” 88 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Poured by Olivia W: This was a blend of grenache and syrah. It had notes of cherries, cranberries with some spice and oak,
plus a little chocolate on the finish. I used to drink a lot of this wine when I lived in NYC. I'm sad they now make a
"Reserve" version of this wine, which simply draws some of the better juice into a different wine: I preferred it when there was no "Reserve"
But it is still a very nice wine for a daily drinker and good QPR in the < $10 range. (priced $8-$10 in NYC on-line)
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2003 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Poured by Natasha (NFH): I was instructed to bring a Spanish wine, but I couldn't find it and so whipped this out of the wine closet, post-VA
and pre-NYC. I popped and poured, rather than opening ahead, so everyone could see the evolution of the wine in their glass.
It had a light carmine color--the lightest of any wine at the tasting--and was very leggy in the glass. It was the oldest wine poured.
The wine showed beautifully, with plum, leather, spice, garrigue, some herbs, a little funk and a hint of bell pepper on the finish.
I did get a touch of alcohol, too, on the end, from the 2003 vintage, which was greatly criticized at the time for being "hot", in a (-) way.
We got a case of these, for $22.50 / bottle (from Zachy's 11-2006, on some close-out sale). It was a deal at the time
Very good QPR, vs. today's retail ($39 2003 in SF and $40-$45 for the 2009-2011 vintages). Jen J said she distributes this wine.
I've loved being able to watch this wine "grow up" into a mature CdP, from its immature, fruity phase (strawberry and spice).
I think this was our penultimate bottle and I will be sad to see this wine go.
The guesses were initially Spain but after that most people got France and either Southern or Northern Rhone. Leslie G. guessed the 2003 vintage, too.
The blend is 65% grenache, 20% mouvedre and 15% syrah.
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2003 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage
Not poured by Natasha: This was the backup wine (in case the Les Cailloux Châteauneuf-du-Pape was no good).
I was surprised there was no demand to open it. It could have been interesting to compare the Northern & Southern Rhone wines, side-by-side.
(And both from the 2003 "hot" and hugely discounted vintages). This has the bacon and smoke from the Northern Rhone. Oh well, next time.
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2010 Château Miraval Côtes de Provence Rosé 90 Points
France, Provence, Côtes de Provence
Poured by Sarah B: This was a delicious Provence rose wine, which I learned was biodynamically grown.
It was a blend of cincault and grenache, with a light pink color and very delicate fruit flavors. It was delicious.
Although it seemed almost "wrong" having this delicious *summer* rose when it was 21 degrees and quite frigid.
Probably worth an extra point if served on a sunny day. Burrr.
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2011 Aletta Campo de Borja 88 Points
Spain, Aragón, Campo de Borja
Poured by Karen: Had a brilliant ruby color and a lovely nose but was a little thinner on the palette, with cherry notes, some earth and a little cocoa.
Very good QPR for $8-$10/bottle ($8 NJ, $10 NYC).
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