Important Update From the Founder

Kaena, Surfing the Grenache Wave

Los Olivos

Tasted December 14, 2015 - December 18, 2015 by wilypod with 260 views

Introduction

Without an appointment, I found owner-winemaker Mikael Sigouin at his Kaena tasting room in Los Olivos, attending to an electrical outage at the facility. One of my oeno-interests over the last 40 years has been the pursuit of good Grenache. It began with a 1971 Late Harvest Grenache made by Dr. David Bruce -- so pure, ethereal, and fragrant -- that stunned me in 1975. In the years since, the varietal has rarely followed up. Paring up Sigouin, a person of outsized personality and physical dimensions, with the elusive, willowy Grenache would seem a bit like a Chopin pas de deux danced by Misty Copeland and JJ Watts. Staking one's reputation on this fickle variety is not exactly risk avoidance.

However, we began the tasting with some delicious white wines, both single variety and blends.

Flight 1 - The Whites (4 notes)

White

2014 Kaena Grenache Blanc La Presa Vineyard USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

89 points

13.9% abv. Pale color with zippy acidity. Citrus aromas of tangerine and lime, and some ginger and marmalade on the palate. Fruit comes from the La Presa vineyard, a cool site, with morning fog. Makes a good case for the variety. I am increasingly convinced that that GB vies with Sauvignon Blanc for most versatile white.

Comment

White

2014 Kaena Riesling La Presa Vineyard USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

88 points

A lovely dry Riesling of new world character from the cool La Presa vineyard. Floral aromatics and some petrol. Kaena shows some flair and creativity with this variety. Excellent acidity and good length.

1 person found this helpful Comment

White

2013 Kaena Hapa Blanc USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

90 points

13.9% abv. An unusually convincing blend of 60% Roussanne, 28% Grenache Blanc, and 12 % Riesling. Rhone whites, while unfailingly flavorful, can also be wanting in lift and a middle ground. The Riesling works like magic here, supplying just what is needed, a layer of tart apricot, filling out the floral GB and roasted nuts of the Roussanne.

1 person found this helpful Comment

White

2014 Kaena Sauvignon Blanc USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

87 points

The fruit comes from three sites: one warm (Faith Vineyard), one cooler (Tierra Alta), and a third coolest (La Presa). Excellent balance of the fruit and herbal qualities of the variety, and would pair well with Asian food.

Does this wine differentiate itself from the array of California premium Sauvignon Blanc on the market? Owner Winemaker Mikael Sigouin is by nature exploratory. So far, I think Kaena seems to have more focus and direction with its Grenache Blanc, white blends, and most of all, its Grenache Noir.

Comment

Flight 2 - Grenache Noir (3 notes)

Red

2013 Kaena Grenache Tierra Alta Vineyard USA, California, Central Coast, Ballard Canyon

92 points

Prepossessing. Blue-tinted ruby, youthfully vivid and translucent in its ruby red color. Intoxicating aromatics, capturing the essence of low yield, expertly grown Grenache. 50% whole berries and 50% crushed fruit fermented with 1/3 stems. Fragrant raspberry and sandalwood and incense, without candy, and delicate sidebar whiffs of bright red fruit and fresh pepper. Good follow through on the palate with red licorice suavity.

A very complete pure Grenache that just barely misses the long and savory finish of a Chateauneuf du Pape "tete de cuvee." See also the note on Kaena's Grenache from the La Presa Vineyard.

2 people found this helpful Comment

Red

2013 Kaena Grenache USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

88 points

Grenache noir from lower elevation sites at Tierra Alta vineyard. This is lovely Grenache, at a very high standard, that will please devotees of this varietal. Raspberry, red licorice, and pepper, make a delightful nose and smooth, medium-bodied mid-palate. The snappy tannins at the back end are stemmy and would benefit from short term cellaring.

While this does not reach the heights of a CdP "tete de cuvee" it is refreshing on its own and likely merits another Parker point or two when consumed with food.

Comment

Red

2013 Kaena Grenache La Presa Vineyard USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley

92 points

This Grenache Noir from the cool, fog protected vineyard of La Presa in low elevation Santa Ynez River Valley alluvial soils complements the racy Tierra Alta Grenache, grown at elevation on the steep limestone slopes of Ballard Canyon. In 2013 La Presa Grenache shares with Tierra Alta those difficult to obtain aromas of sandalwood and lavender, although they are less seductively aromatic than those of Tierra Alta's upper reaches. The fruit however is darker and produces a more pronounced Raspberry liqueur and a fuller mid-palate body, giving the wine greater liquidity and depth.

Thought: combining the best lots of Tierra Alta and La Presa might result in a spectacular "tete de cuvee" that shows the heights that can be achieved with this fascinating if fickle varietal.

2 people found this helpful Comment

Closing

Mikael Sigouin seems to be riding the risky Grenache wave, as one would expect from a Hawaiian, with his balance intact. The limitation that is his and everyone's in the the U.S. is the limited availability of old vine Grenache fruit. Most plantings of Grenache grown for the premium wine market are under two decades old. The best expression of Grenache requires older vines 35 years and up, in the right soils, something with a lot of sand, for example, like the high sandy knoll in the center of Chateauneuf du Pape. Sigouin brings focus, persistence and creativity to the task, searching out a variety of soils and microclimates, and best vineyard practices. He reins in the variety's tendency to overcrop, monitors acidity, guards against bleaching, and does not push the grapes for ripeness and extraction. With Grenache he trusts indigenous yeast to get the fermentation going. The results are as good as anyone else's in California. Even more promising, is his knowledge of how great Grenache can be and his determination to continue the quest. Best of all, Kaena's prices are more reasonable than most of the competition in this category.

His white blends show similar creativity and risk taking to maximize perfume and complexity, particularly his Hapa Blanc, which adds Riesling to the usual Rhone pairing of Roussanne and Grenache Blanc.

Kaena, Surfing the Grenache Wave

Los Olivos

Introduction

Flight 1 - The Whites (4 notes)

Flight 2 - Grenache Noir (3 notes)

Closing

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