April 17, 2023 - Not even remotely what I expected from an Aussie Grenache but I haven’t been drinking much from down under. Expecting a big extracted powerhouse, instead it pours out of the bottle looking like a Burgundy and tastes like a funky light Rhone. Didn’t love at first but after air and on second night it was an elegant wine.
October 8, 2021 - Great discovery with this Australian grenache. Pale and bright color. Lovely acidity, opened up nicely after 20-30’. Red fruits, white pepper, slighly bitter finish - not as light as the color would led you to believe. Good complexity.
July 23, 2021 - Nice with food. Light, lively acidity, perhaps a touch of volcanic presence? I can’t remember what I paid via Garagiste, but the current listed price seems a little high to me. I’m not familiar with the label, but no disrespect intended to the winemaker!
October 17, 2020 - Shedding a tear for Taras Ochota tonight by drinking another one of these. They are so good I can't stand it. Hopefully his label will continue as well without him, but I'm going to pick up a few cases of this cuvee asap anyways. What a shame and what a tragedy!
June 9, 2020 - Wow this is amazing to chart this wines development. From wild freshness to a more subdued and complex patina. This is looking a bit brickish in the glass. Going from a bright strawberry to a more dusky red now. On the nose it's now over-ripe strawberries and rhubarb. On the palate there is the same fermented strawberries, rhubarb, bramble and a bit of dirt. There is a bead of acidity that seems to emerge with air. In the final assessment its still a delicious, light Grenache. All the prevalent natural wine elements seem to have been ingested by the wine and now form a complex layer of flavours. This bottle might be particularly advanced. It's super interesting now, but I wonder if it's also on the wane. I think I will drink up my stock soon and look to buy another vintage for that electric bright newness.
May 29, 2020 - The Ochota folks continue to earn a reputation that is amazing. This is low alcohol, balanced acid magic. At this point, it has become pull and pour magic that is great with food. At 12% alcohol, this is everything that is modern grenache. I wish I had more than the three bottles I bought!
March 17, 2020 - With a bit of age, the wildness of this wine is fading and the voluptuousness is coming out. It still has a bit of funkyness fai tly on the nose. But everything is so melded and smooth now. I almost miss the spikiness of its former self! Such a delicious wine. A bright strawberry colour. Very smooth on the palate. Almost no tannins, very mild acidity. It's a light, fruity mouthful, so delicious. A slight mineral tingliness gives it a fairly long finish. I say drink this vintage up! I don't know what tertiary flavours can develop, but it's at this perfect balance of zingy freshness and smooth development that I'd rather not risk it.
March 7, 2020 - Coravin Session #3 - Grenache vs Zinfandel: [From Coravin]
The appearance is clear and medium ruby in colour.
The nose is clean. The aromas have a medium(+) intensity and show well-defined notes of black fruit (blueberry), red fruit (raspberry, very ripe wild strawberry), oak (subtle cardamom), floral characters (lavender), and pungent spice (white pepper). Swirling reveals additional notes of stems and oak (subtle chocolate). The wine is youthful.
On the palate, the wine is dry with high acidity, medium alcohol, and medium(-) body. The medium(-) level tannins are ripe and soft. The flavours have a medium(+) intensity and show notes of black fruit (blueberry), oak (chocolate), red fruit (raspberry, wild strawberry), and a floral character (lavender). The finish has a medium(+) length and shows additional notes of mineral (damp earth, wet clay) and pungent spice (subtle white pepper).
This is a very good quality wine. The flavours have a great balance with the acidity and the alcohol. The tannins provide some structure to the wine, but fall away quickly, with the acidity keeping this wine to the lighter side of medium body. The flavours show great concentration (a wine of higher quality would show more concentration and a longer length). In its current state, the wine shows some complexity with primary and secondary characteristics (a wine of higher quality would show more complexity). The primary fruit core is enjoyable and is supported by savoury notes. The secondary components (oak) are well-integrated; not awkwardly poking out. The finish has a great length that allows the flavours to linger in a very interesting and enjoyable manner.
The wine drinks well now, but is suitable for some ageing. The fruit shows great concentration, and the acid structure should support the wine for medium-term cellaring.
October 19, 2019 - This still stands as the most Burgundian Grenache I've ever come across. It looks, smells, and tastes, not just like Pinot Noir but truly "Cote" in origin. Very chameleon-like for the first several hours open as it almost seems to struggle to find its place in the atmosphere, changing from grippy and tart to luscious and elegant and then back again over and over. By the second day, it has fully settled in to a cohesive "Burgundy" experience and darn near a WOW! wine. Truly fascinating, and I wouldn't mind having more in the cellar. I'm giving a good score, either in spite of its quirky-ness or because of that same oddity factor ;) It has improved since my first bottle and I think it still has plenty of road ahead. If opening now, I recommend following it over the course of two days to appreciate how it develops.
5+12+17+8= 92
April 7, 2019 - At least three times I had to remind myself that this isn't Pinot ;)
Notes after two hours open. Dark ruby color but very lightly saturated with a very light haze and no sediment. The brushy-ness of the bouquet still leads me down a more Pinot path but then again, it doesn't seem like proper Pinor Noir. Finally on the palate, I am obligated to confirm the label because it doesn't lead me to Grenache, either. It's a nice interpretation, but would totally throw me in a blind tasting. 4+11+17+8= 90