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WTN: Calif Grenache/Mourvedre/Blends..(long/boring)

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WTN: Calif Grenache/Mourvedre/Blends..(long/boring)

by TomHill » Sun Jun 10, 2007 12:10 pm

We tasted last week (5/30/07) Some Grenache/Mourvedre/Blends:
1. SierraVista ElDorado Grenache (EB; 13.5%) 2005: Med.color; slight earthy/dusty/ElDorado
terroir bit Rhonish light strawberry/Grenache; some earthy/dusty/Rhonisg slight metallic
light Grenache/strawberry flavor; med.long Rhonish/earthy/dusty light strawberry/Grenache
finish w/ no tannins; a pleasant little CdR-level Grenache. $19.25
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2. Novy JudgeFamilyVnyd/BennettVlly Grenache (14.5%) 2004: Med.color; light toasty/oak strong
blackberry/strawberry/Grenache candied pretty nose; tart light bright/candied/strawberry/
Grenache pretty simple flavor; med.short pretty candied/strawberry/soda pop finish w/
little tannins; a pretty little Grenache but just that. $21.00
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3. VIE "L'Imaginaire" Grenache SonomaCnty (14.7%; AltaMesa/WhiteHawk Grenache + ThompsonVnyd/
Syrah + AltaMesa/Mourvedre) 2005: Med.dark color; rather spicy deep/Grenache/strawberry
slight peppery interesting/attractive nose; tart bright/strawberry/Grenache/spicy slight
earthy/peppery flavor; slight bitter/tannic light earthy bright/strawberry/Grenache
slight peppery/spicy finish w/ some tannins; needs a yr or two; lots of pretty/bright
strawberry/Grenache fruit; bit pricey at $39.00
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4. Kenneth-Crawford Grenache LarnerVnyd/SantaYnezVlly (15.5%) 2004: Med.dark color; deep very
spicy/peppery boysenberry/jammy/strawberry Oz-like light toasty/oak bit alcoholic/
overripe nose; tart bit tannic/hard very ripe/boysenberry/strawberry/jammy bit hot/alcoholic
Oz-like/jammy flavor; very long jammy/ripe/boysenberry/strawberry/Grenache slight toasty/
oak bit alcoholic finish; needs several yrs; rather Oz-like w/o the oak. $35.00
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5. Jaffurs SantaBarbaraCnty Grenache (14.8%) 2005: Dark color; slight earthy/funky strong
blackberry/strawberry/Grenache light oak/pungent very pretty nose; tart light tannic
bright/fruity/strawberry/Grenache slight Nehi soda pop flavor; bit tannic bright/
strawberry/Grenache slight earthy light oak/toasty finish; needs several yrs; a rather
pretty Grenache. $27.00
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6. K-Vintners TheBoy WallaWallaVlly (68% Grenache, 18% Syrah, 14% Mourvedre; 14.1%;
http://www.K-Syrah.com) 2004: Dark color; rather roasted/smoky/Rhonish slight cabbagey some toasty/
oak/peppery slight Grenache/strawberry interesting nose; some Rhonish/funky/roasted some
toasty/oak/smokey bit peppery tart slight cabbagey flavor; long smokey/pungent/Rhonish/
roasted light toasty/oak slight funky/cabbagey finish w/ sligght tannins; needs several
yrs; lots of WashState terroir and not much fruit; quite an interesting/Rhonish red.
$36.00
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7. OjaiVnyd Grenache PurismaMtnVnyd/SBCnty (14.5%) 2003: Dark color; beautiful boysenberry/
blackberry/framboise slight meaty essence of Grenache slight herbal/leafy nose; soft intense
framboise/boysenberry/blackberry essence of framboise slight toasty/oak flavor; very long
blackberry/boysenberry essence of framboise slight toasty/oak finish w/ some tannins;
big extracted almost Alban-like Grenache; terrific wine. $37.00
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8. OjaiVnyd Grenache ThompsonVnyd/SBC (14.5%) 2004: Very dark color; very spicy/peppery bit
meaty some toasty/oak more Syrah-like/blackberry nose; tart spicy/meaty some blackberry
some toasty/oak rather tannic flavor; long tannic spicy/meaty some blackberry/strawberry
light toasty/oak finish; speaks less of Grenach and more of Thompson terroir; terrific/
interesting Grenache. $37.00
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9. Core 163 SantaBarbaraCnty RW CuyamaVlly (28% Syrah, 60% Grenache, 12% Mourvedre; 620 cs;
.5-3 tons/acre; 14.9%) 2004: Dark color; strong plummy/blackberry/black cherry/boysenberry
loads of fruit nose; soft very lush plummy/blackberry/boysenberry very ripe slight toasty/
oak rather Oz-like flavor; long slight toasty/oak ripe/plummy/boysenberry huge fruit finish
w/ light tannins; big/huge fruit wine in an Oz style; very good price. $24.00
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10. Core hard core SantaBarbaraCnty (32% Mourvedre, 43% Grenache, 25% CabSauv; 285 cs;
14.9%) 2004: Very dark color; slight herbal/Cab/leafy some plummy/blackberry interesting
nose; tart rather herbal/Cab/leafy light plummy/blackberry bit simple flavor; med.long some
herbal/Cab finish w/ some tannins; interesting off-beat red that seems dominated by the
Cab. $29.00
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11. Core elevation sensation alta mesa vnyd/CuyamaVlly/SantaBarbaraCnty (44% Mourvedre,
54% Grenache, 2% Syrah; 160 cs; 15.2%; http://www.CoreWine.com) 2004: Very dark color; ripe/lovely
very plummy/black cherry/blackberry bit earthy/dusty interesting light/toasty/oak nose;
soft plummy/boysenberry/black cherry some cola/DrPepper light dusty/earthy light toasty/oak
flavor; long very plummy/blackberry/cola/DrPepper finish w/ some tannins; needs several
yrs. $36.00
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12. SierraVista ElDorado Mourvedre (EB; 13.7%) 2004: Dark color; very strong mushroomy/plummy/
ContraCosta-like slight earthy/dusty nose; tart earthy/dusty/ElDorado terroir light
plummy fruit flavor; med. light plummy rather dusty/earthy finish w/ light tannins;
mostly about ElDorado terroir and not much fruit; pleasant red. $19.00
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13. EricTexier VielliesVignes Chateauneuf du Pape (13.5%) 2000: Med.color; rather roasted/
smokey/pungent/NortherRhone slight brettty/funky complex nose; strong bretty/horsecollar
Grenache/strawberry rather toasty/roasted some pungent/oak some peppery/NR complex flavor;
long pungent/smokey/oak rather roasted/NR some strawberry/Grenache some bretty/horsecollar
finish; unusual CdP w/ a lot of NorthernRhone/roasted character; should still go for
several more yrs. Larry's mystery.
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14. Garretson Grenache RozetVnyd/TempletonGap/PasoRobles (15.2%; 200 cs) 2003: Dark color;
loads of strawberry/Grenache/fruity very attractive/pretty nose; soft fairly bright/
strawberry/Grenache big fruit bit simple flavor; med.long bright/strawberry/Grenache finish
w/ light tannins; a rather pretty Grenache that's ready to drink.
________________________________________________________________________
More BloodyPulpit stuff:
1. By and large; this collection of Grenaches didn't much float my boat. Except for the Ojais.
When it comes to Grenache, John Alban clearly rules.
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2. CoreWines: I have liked Dave Corey's wines quite a bit in the past. These three wines were
no exception. Good/tasty red wines at fair prices. If there was any criticism of them, it
would be that they were a bit unfocused. The differences between them were not that
striking. But I think Dave is making some of the best Mourvedre-based wines out there.
I love his CandyCore LateHrvst Grenache. And at HdR, I had my first Core white, an '05
GrenacheBlanc/Marsanne/Roussanne blend that I was favorably impressed with.
TomHill
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Re: WTN: Calif Grenache/Mourvedre/Blends..(long/boring)

by John Tomasso » Sun Jun 10, 2007 2:54 pm

Tom, conspicuous by its absence is the Beckmen's grenache. I think his stuff from Purisima Mtn is worthy of comparison with Alban's, no?

I also agree on Core - a producer to watch.
"I say: find cheap wines you like, and never underestimate their considerable charms." - David Rosengarten, "Taste"
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Nope..

by TomHill » Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:50 pm

I DO like Steve's PurisimaMtn Grenache...a lot. But I also rate it down there in the 2'nd tier w/ Ojai, Jaffurs, Ampelos, etc.
To me, the Alban's stand alone at the top of the heap. The Beckman doesn't have, to me, the structure and the acidity the Alban's have. They're good...very good...but Alban stands alone.
But waht would I know...I've only followed them from the very start!! :-)
Tom

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