2023 Judgement of Wimbledon
Wimbledon
Tasted Friday, March 17, 2023 by Riaan with 188 views
Introduction
One of the greatest measures of a wine’s quality and style can usually be achieved when lining up the finest creations in a blind line-up against all one’s global peers. If you want to be the best, you need to pit yourself against the best. This philosophy applies equally in business, sport and of course fine wine and it was this simple principle that inspired the original “Judgement Tastings” many years ago… the first popularised benchmark exploration being the Judgement of Paris held by the late Steven Spurrier back in 1976, pitting the best of California against the best of France.
In the same pioneering spirit of competition, a group of London fine wine enthusiasts set out, some years ago, to compare the finest Grenache wine expressions from around the world in a rigorous blind comparative tasting. Roll on several years, and not only have the finest offerings from around the world increased in number, but the “Grenache fine wine category” itself has evolved dramatically to include some incredible new expressions, primarily from Spain and South Africa.
Extract from the writeup of our 2023 event by Greg Sherwood MW.
This was the 5th in our "Judgement of" series of events, going back to the first one in 2017.
https://gregsherwoodmw.com/2023/04/08/the-judgement-of-wimbledon-2023-ratings-and-results-for-the-grand-blind-grenache-tasting/
Flight 1 - 2023 Judgement of Wimbledon (14 Notes)
Main lineup
2020 Comando G Rumbo al Norte 99 Points
Spain, Madrid, Vinos de Madrid
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find.
This ranked #1/14 for me, and #8/14 overall.
Fruit from 0.3ha plot. 1200m. 14mos in 1,000l oak vat. ~1,000bottles produced.
I was a bit all over the place with this wine. It’s so concentrated, an assault on the senses. You really need to take your time with this one. Strong nutmeg when first poured. Eventually that settles down and it develops a nose of grilled herb and a touch of green herbs. Musk. Dried rose petals. Blood orange. Orange peel. Smoke. Earth.
Extremely complex. So concentrated, even a bit overpowering to start. A wine that can’t be denied. Unmatched in this lineup. Like the very best we had today, but dialled up a few notches.
99pt
WOTN 🥇
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2020 Comando G El Tamboril Tinto 99 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find. Tasters were a few friends, including Greg Sherwood, @Richie G, and @Alastair.
This ranked #2/14 for me, and #1/14 overall.
Fruit from 0.5ha plot. 1200m. North facing. Granite and quartz. 70yr old vines. 16mos in mature French oak barrel. ~600 bottles produced.
Rose petals. Spice. Salinity. Intense. It just keeps going…so very, very long. Hard to do this any justice in a tasting note.
An mind boggling wine. Incredibly intense, massive structure and power, yet so delicate.
99pt
WOTN 🥈
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2019 4 Monos Vinos de Madrid Danza del Viento La Isilla 98 Points
Spain, Madrid, Vinos de Madrid
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find. Tasters were a few friends, including Greg Sherwood, @Richie G, and @Alastair.
This ranked #3/14 for me, and #2/14 overall.
A under the radar producer that I absolutely adore. I was so incredibly pleased at how well it did. Produced by 4 friends in the emerging Madrid region. Grenache with a bit of Carinena. ~400 bottles produced.
98pt
WOTN 🥉
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2021 Sadie Family Soldaat 97 Points
South Africa, Olifants River, Citrusdal, Piekenierskloof
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find.
This ranked #4/14 for me, and #6/14 overall.
Overt and expressive fruit, but very well judged. Earthy. Mineral driven. Smoky and reductive. Lots of tension. Strong saline streak. Stunning. Didn’t pick it as Soldaat but absolutely loved this.
97+
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2019 Naudé Grenache Old Vines 97 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find.
This ranked #5/14 for me, and #4/14 overall.
I’m such a fan of this wine, incredible that the group rated it even higher than I did.
Aromatic. Floral. Expressive. Saline. So incredibly precise. Stunning wine.
97pt
The 2019 was in a bit of an odd place during 2022 JofW, so it fell down the rankings a bit, ending up 8th of 10. However, it’s really starting to hit its stride right now and I expect it’s still improving.
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2020 Naudé Grenache Old Vines 96 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region, Swartland
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find.
This ranked #6/14 for me, and #5/14 overall.
Naude needs no introduction, shone brightly once again. This the pre-release 2020. Greg brought a bottle from SA and landed in the UK one day before the tasting.
The nose generates some serious tummy tingling. It’s so delicate and expressive. Medley of delicate fruit, florals and crushed stone. Wild strawberry. Lots of elegance. Very precise but so delicate. Needed to take break between wines to fully appreciate this. Ethereal. Still so young, and it’ll only get better.
Included as a double blind. Only Greg and I knew it was in the lineup.
96+
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2019 Mas Martinet Priorat Cami Pesseroles 96 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find.
This ranked #7/14 for me, and #3/14 overall.
Fruit from plot with Grenache and Carinena Co planted in 1939. Aged in 650l chestnut, acacia, cherry, and oak barrels. 1,200 bottles produced.
Edgy. Purple. Spice. Grilled herb. Mineral driven. Fresh and energetic. Good tension. Delicate.
96+pt
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2018 Telmo Rodríguez Pegaso Granito Sierra de Gredos 94 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Cebreros
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find. Tasters were a few friends, including Greg Sherwood, @Richie G, and @Alastair.
This ranked #8/14 for me, and #9/14 overall.
Only wine from Castilla León. Fruit from granite soils. 18mos in 500/600l oak barrels. 3,872 bottles produced.
Fruit forward. Cassis. Blackberry. Spice. Expressive. Hedonistic. Warm.
94pt
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2018 Torres Priorat Mas de la Rosa Vinyes Velles Porrera 96 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find.
This ranked #9/14 for me, and #10/14 overall.
Another new entry. A very special Priorat cuvee from Torres. Riper style, dark in the glass. Incredible palate. Fresh, concentrated, very slight hint of sweetness. Some florals. Spice to finish. Excellent.
96pt
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2020 Alvaro Palacios Rioja Quinon de Valmira 95 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find. Tasters were a few friends, including Greg Sherwood, @Richie G, and @Alastair.
This ranked #10/14 for me, and 11/14 overall.
Another new entry to the main tasting, and the only wine from Rioja. I thought this might struggle, but it held its own quite well.
Crunchy fruit, crushed rock, cherry cola. Really jumps out of the glass. Mineral edge.
95pt
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2019 Mas Martinet Priorat Els Escurcons 95 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find.
This ranked #11/14 for me, and #7/14 overall.
Dense and dark, yet retains freshness. Fruit forward. Bubblegum, cinnamon, spice. Grilled herb. Crushed rock. Another excellent showing. Ranked higher by the rest of the group, but I still loved the wine.
95pt
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2019 Terroir Al Limit Soc. Lda. Priorat Les Manyes 92 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we followed the main tasting with a Les Manyes vertical covering 2011 to 2019.
It was time to refill our glasses after trying it blind in the main tasting. I’m increasingly wondering if it was faulty. Maybe just the ripeness, but so different from every other vintage of LM. I’ll have to try it again.
1,868 bottles produced.
92pt
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2019 Terroir Sense Fronteres Guix Vermell 92 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find.
This ranked #13/14 for me, and #12/14 overall.
A new entrant in our JofW series, but from the same producer as the Les Manyes. This vineyard is right at the top of the hill, next to the Les Manyes vineyard, but on the Montsant side.
Very similar profile to the 2019 Les Manyes. It seems the two wines got the same treatment, end ended in a very similar result.
Bruised apple, bubblegum. Mechanic’s rag. Seemed a touch alcoholic.
Sadly similar disappointing result to the Les Manyes.
92pt
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2014 A Tribute to Grace Wine Company Grenache Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard 90 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
The fourth in our “Judgement of…” series of blind Grenache tastings. This year we lined up 14 of the best examples of Grenache we could find. Tasters were a few friends, including Greg Sherwood, @Richie G, and @Alastair.
This ranked #14/14 for me, and #14/14 overall.
The his was always going to stand out, so we used a double blind by including it without telling people it’ll be in the lineup. However, it still stood out due to both vintage and style. Nobody was fooled. 🤣
90pt
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