2021 Grenache, Rancho Réal Vineyard
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Tasting Notes
Very healthy (for Grenache) bright ruby red color, with nary a sign of brown at the rim. Nose dominated by notes of autumnal spice - cloves, allspice, star anise and hints of sandalwood or another candle scent one might find in the boudoir of an aging hippie. In addition there are the reliably Grenache-y tones - strawberry/rhubarb and peach, with some suggestion of citrus. There is a definitely discernible characteristic of menthol or peppermint, which builds in intensity as the wine becomes saturated with oxygen. (I put this down to the partial inclusion of stems.) Very good volume on the palate: the wine seems to expand with exposure to air in the way that inspirational Pinot/Burgundy sometimes does. Definite tannic backbone to the wine, presaging a good long life, with enough sunny fruit to minimize the likelihood of a sere and crabby old age.
Vineyard Notes
Rancho Réal is one of the coolest sites where vines are successfully grown in California. Overall, 2021 was an excellent vintage in the Central Coast with no major weather events. While we did not have the opportunity to air-dry the grapes post-harvest, the '21 vintage was harvested a bit later than the '20 and as such, is a slightly more intense and concentrated wine, requiring perhaps a longer tenure in the cellar to come to optimal expression.
Winemaker Notes
Alas, the threat of imminent rain late in the ‘21 season thwarted our plan to allow the Grenache fruit to air-dry al fresco in situ in the coolth of the Santa Maria climat, as we did in 2020, but in light of the slightly riper conditions, we did elect to use approximately 50% of the undestemmed (and uncrushed) fruit in the fermenter. We had observed that pumping over Grenache rather than punching down led to slightly gentler extraction, so that was the tack we took.
The wine was aged in larger vessels (puncheons and foudres) to minimize the amount of oxygen ingress in its élevage and was gently fined with egg whites before bottling as to soften the tannic impression of the wine.
Pairings
Very healthy (for Grenache) bright ruby red color, with nary a sign of brown at the rim. Nose dominated by notes of autumnal spice - cloves, allspice, star anise and hints of sandalwood or another candle scent one might find in the boudoir of an aging hippie. In addition there are the reliably Grenache-y tones - strawberry/rhubarb and peach, with some suggestion of citrus. There is a definitely discernible characteristic of menthol or peppermint, which builds in intensity as the wine becomes saturated with oxygen. (I put this down to the partial inclusion of stems.) Very good volume on the palate: the wine seems to expand with exposure to air in the way that inspirational Pinot/Burgundy sometimes does. Definite tannic backbone to the wine, presaging a good long life, with enough sunny fruit to minimize the likelihood of a sere and crabby old age.
Wine Profile
| Vintage |
2021 |
| Varietal Composition |
100%
Grenache
|
| Acid |
5.8 g/L |
| PH |
3.50 |
| Aging |
12 months |
| Barrel Aging |
12 months
|
| Fermentation |
Stainless Steel |
| Residual Sugar |
<.05 g/L |
| Alcohol % |
14.3 |
| Size |
750 ml |
