Grenache, take 3

Grenache made well is a beautiful thing. A fruity, spicy, rich yet simultaneously fresh, sappy, scruffy mediterranean herb tinged beautiful thing. Unfortunately, I don't get most, or even some, of these personal palate memory descriptors in most grenache based wines: not in Cotes du Rhone, Gigondas, Chateauneuf du Pape, nor in California's central coast. Burgundy is often described as full of landmines for those seeking authenticity and value, but how about Chateauneuf du Pape? Rare is the CdP which balances the generously spicy, savory and tangy qualities of a classic grenache driven blend.

Rather than dwell on what I hate (always good fun, but rarely constructive), I have decided to focus on what is good. Instead of focusing on how disappointing that 2000 Rayas, or 2000 Vieux Telegraphe, was, I'll opt to remember the 2001 Fonsalette, or most Gramenon and Texier grenache based wines I have drunk.

And here are two more wines to add to the steadily burgeoning list of grenache I actually like.

2005 Chateau Montfaucon Cotes du Rhone

A blend of grenache, syrah, cinsault and carignane, co-fermented and aged for 18 months in concrete. I would not be surprised if the somewhat rustic, spicy, and surprisingly fresh qualities on display here have something to do with the contribution of the latter two grapes. Also, the winery only uses estate fruit, organically farmed, from lower yielding vines. According to the website, organic compost consisting of sheep manure and marc is used, native grasses are grown between rows, and plowing is only done when necessary in very dry vintages. This wine manages to show both ripeness and delicacy, intensity and nuance, spicy herbs and higher toned fruit. Delicious wine and a real keeper, if only I had another bottle to keep.

2008 Qupe Sawyer Lindquist Grenache Edna Valley

All I remember about Bob Lindquist’s new, younger vine grenache (I was about 40 wines in prior to tasting it) is the beautiful, translucent, light ruby color, and the tangy red fruit. A delicate side of grenache, courtesy of a winemaker who clearly values both grenache and delicacy.

A grenache hater's tale of one '05 Cotes du Rhone

Grenache is hot. It gets too ripe. It's all fruit, no nuance. It's part of the reason why many well informed, particularly astute and, well, particular wine drinkers have all but abandoned Spanish wines.

Personally I detest most Chateauneuf du Pape. Many Cotes du Rhone strike me as all fruit, no acid, occasionally prematurely oxidizing, boring red wines. Garnacha from Spain is occasionally interesting, but you need to be incredibly selective to find a good one.

Well, leave it up to Terroir to serve up one of the brightest, most delicious and fun to drink bottles of southern Rhone wine I have yet to have, the 2005 Eric Texier St Gervais. Eric Texier gets lots of ink (perhaps I should say 'screen play') on wine blogs. He makes wine sourced from the Maconnais, northern Rhone as well as the southern Rhone. As one would expect for a wine of this quality, the vines are grown naturally, with cover crops between rows and occasional tilling to loosen the soil, which consists of decomposed limestone, clay and gravel. Located on a south facing vineyard in the relatively cooler climate of the Rhone village of St Gervais, vines (predominately grenache) average 80 years of age.

While Texier makes a wide range of wines from a number of different vineyards, the wines are each fermented near their respective source vineyard, and then aged in traditional 228 liter wood barrels and larger demi-muids (450 liters) in his cellar outside of Lyon (Beaujolais).

It's quite unusual for wines from the warmer southern Rhone to go through elevage in Beaujolais, where the cellar temperature is cooler and more steady. Just as I imagine it is unusual to transfer grapes immediately after harvesting to refrigerated trucks and then on to the winery. This attention to detail, combined with the excellent vineyards Texier owns and sources, surely are key factors in producing some of the most lively and unique expressions of grenache based wines in the world. If you haven't already, you should try them sometime.

Lovely French dinner, with French wine and new French friends

Last night, my special lady and I were invited over to our friend Josh's place for dinner with him and his French girlfriend, who is still settling into San Francisco. We all had a great time, and, true to form for Josh and I, it was only our yawning with increasing frequency around 1am which finally broke up the party.

We started with a delicious glass of 2007 Chaussard 'You are So Nice' Cot-Gamay. So much nicer than the last time I drank this! Apparently a customer of Josh's returned the wine earlier in the day and said it was not good. Well, the customer was right, as the wine was not merely good, but really fucking good! Lively dark berry and that delicious iron like minerality that cot seems to deliver in the Loire. The wine was delicious, impeccably balanced, and really persistent. I only wish Josh had received two returned bottles instead of just one.

I brought a bottle of 2005 Jo Landron 'Fiefs du Brueils' muscadet which was so ungiving on the nose, so compact and tight on the palate, that I suggested Josh keep it in his fridge and check in on it throughout the week. It would not have been too pleasurable a drink with dinner. Instead, Josh pulled out a wonderful bottle of 2006 Gramenon Cotes du Rhone 'La Sagesse.' Another natural wine, made with minimal sulphur added prior to bottling, it was richer and warmer than the Chaussard, with a touch of a baked character, but still showing pure grenache dark cherry fruit, balanced acidity and an accesible character. It should improve for up to 7-8 years (I think, there is the whole fragile low sulphur wine thing to worry about if you're not storing these carefully, though). We ate pork chops, sauteed with mustard, creme fraiche, rosemary and mushrooms, with sides of mini buttered elbow pasta and pan fried kale (cooked with a controversial, but unexpectedly tasty, dash of lemon zest thrown in). I love kale, and this version was good for a change of pace.

Pungent Valdeon (spanish blue cheese), really good, earthy/funky Brie and Pierce Point (from Cowgirl Creamery) followed dinner, which was then proceeded by a tasty Pippin apple crumble and then a wee dram of Caol Ila 10 year for me, some bourbon for Natalie and Josh and sparkling wine for Catherine. A really fun evening - thanks to our gracious hosts Josh and Catherine for cooking great food and entertaining us in their new apartment.