WA Grenache Tasting

Group of 16 or so gathered at Seattle Wine Storage and tasted through 18 bottles with a WA Grenache theme, 15 WA, 3 ringers.

• 2013 Ocelli Cellars Grenache Yakima Valley Snipes Mountain

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley Snipes Mountain

  Red warm fruit. Fresh and felt very young.
  Mid acidity, low tannins. Quite a bit of heat..
  Red plums with mid finish. 5/6 for flight.

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• 2010 Rôtie Cellars Grenache "little g"

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Not a lot of notes.. bright fruit, high acidity, slightly oaky.
  better than the first, but not great. 4/6 for flight

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• 2011 Force Majeure Grenache Force Majeure Vineyard

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

  Cotton candy fruit. wow.. this isn't bad but also not what i like about Grenache from WA. Slightly sweet, mid tannin.
  3/6. flight is improving.

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• 2010 Cayuse God Only Knows

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  Stemmy.. identify as christophe wine.
  Mid acidity and tannin. a bit sweet but enjoyable.
  Cayuse GOK? 2/6 in flight.

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• 2005 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91 Points

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

  Earthy, warm fruit. shows a bit of age.
  Mid high acidity, soft and mellow. really enjoyed this.
  1/6 - wine of the flight.

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• 2010 Gramercy Cellars Grenache MTA Olsen Vineyard

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Hot, sweet.. Jammy, Pruney, completely unbalanced. wow this is bad.
  
  edit: now thinking it may have been flawed, removed score
  6/6 in flight..

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• 2009 No Girls Grenache

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  Stemmy - another christophe wine!
  Funky, low acidity.. Just ok.
  4/6 in flight.

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• 2011 Gramercy Cellars Grenache Alder Ridge Vineyard

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills

  Slight VA? seems a touch off. but actually really enjoyable. sour cherry, great structure.. 2/6 of flight.

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• 2010 Kerloo Cellars Grenache Alder Ridge Vineyard Horse Heaven Hills

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills

  Cotton candy, sweetness. Slightly bitter, with high tannins.
  not terrible, but not good. 6/6 of flight

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• 2012 Latta Grenache Upland Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley Snipes Mountain

  Delicious red fruit, sour cherry notes.. slight hint of sweetness with mid high acidity with long finish.
  Called ringer - not WA (turns out i'm wrong).
  1/6 for flight, and i'd say tied with the 2005 Vieux Donjon for WOTN.

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• 2012 La Rata Wines La Rata

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  Funk again.. christophe again? plumy, mid acidity..
  not bad.. 3/6 in flight

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• 2016 Orr Wines Grenache

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Royal Slope

  Young, fresh.. bright acidity.. can be good but super young.. really needs more time for this to settle down a bit.. wow like grape juice now.
  5/6 in flight.

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• 2011 Maison Bleue Grenache Le Midi Boushey Vineyard 87 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley

  Dark purple, very young and fresh nose. Dark fruit, mid acidity and tannin. a bit of heat.. but not bad.. 1/6 for flight. the whole flight is a bit weak tho.

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• 2010 Maison Bleue Grenache Le Midi Boushey Vineyard

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley

  Sweet cotton candy.. sweet plums.. pretty down the middle WA grenache actually.. not bad, but i'm not a fan of this style i think.
  4/6 in flight.

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• 2011 No Girls Grenache

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  Stemmy and bitter.. whole cluster? another christpohe wine!
  low acidity and mid tannins. not bad.. 3/6 in flight

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• 2011 Keplinger Caldera

  USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County

  Deep ruby.. ringer? I think this is the wine i brought (yup! was right).
  seems a bit off.. chocolate..
  5/6 in flight b/c thre's one that's even more flawed.

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• 2005 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul

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

  Stewy fruit.. this is oxidized.. wow.. bad.
  6/6 in flight.. worst of night.. but gotta say it's flawed.

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• 2013 Ocelli Cellars Grenache Columbia Valley

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Sweet licorice.. with some leather notes. sweet plum and psices. actually not bad. 2/6 of flight.

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Interesting Observations:
- One of the best was a 2005 cdp (VDJ), and yet one of the worst was also a 2005 cdp (mon aieul).
- Cayuse/No Girls/Christophe wines are so distinct and easy to pick out.
- Two alderidge vineyards back to back.. one so bad.. one quite good!