The Auswine Forum

Hi
our wine drinking group has proposed a grenache tasting.

I can't remember ever having a great grenache.

So I thought I ask the experts about a recommendation to take along that's drinking well now and is obtainable.

regards and thanks in advance

mike

Obtainable?

Where are you located

and

did you have any budget restraints, or just what is really good?

At what price range? And what style? Blends included? Old v New world?

Ignoring blends, here are a couple of nice picks for New world straight grenache about $50. Hard to go past Barossa and McLaren for region. MacLaren have recently started to promote the variety (see this link http://www.mclarenvale.info/cadenzia/ )

2002 Penfolds cellar reserve Grenache

Most all vintages of Noon's (mailing list is significantly less)

All vintages of Kalleske (great combination of power and finesse)

Down the price range at $35 or below

Longhop 2005 was a stunner (haven't tried the 06). Very rich with calssy winemaking.

Sorrento 2006 grenache (A bit reductive at first but opens up) and very good value I think. Available at Auswine as well

Diesen does a couple (a straight and a late-picked) that are nice as well in the modern style. Very rich.

Auswine has a Greenock Ck 2004 cornerstone that might be interesting but I haven't tried it. People also rave about the Glaymond but again haven't tried.

I have seen a 2001 Classic McLaren Grenache around the traps for under $20 which is a great buy. Had one recently and is nicely balanced now between primary fruit and secondary flavours. Good to throw in as an aged example but I wouldn't cellar it much longer.

I shouldn't forget a few stalwarts like d'Arenburg (rustic), Hardy's Tintara (very good actually) and Mitchell is pretty interesting as it is a Clare grenache which is a little different.

Clarendon Hills is supposed to make Australia's best grenache but the one time I tried it I found it slightly overworked. Happy to try again though!

Overseas and blends it can get very interesting and very expensive. There is southern Rhone and there is Spain (along with a few south west regions in france). Others are perhaps more qualified to comment here.

Hope that helps a bit.

cheers

Carl

Good examples of Grenache and Grenache blends available and I'm sure Gavin has some. Some of my favourites are:

Barossa
Kalleske Old Vine Grenache
Grant Burge Holy Trinity
Kabminye Grenache/Carignan

McLaren Vale
Plenty here from most wineries. A group of winemakers make a Cadenzia (predominately grenache blend) I liked the d'Arenberg and the Red Knot ($12)

Good Grenache is good drinking and you can't see through them.

Graham

A really good one we had earlier in the year was the 1996 Yalumba Old Bush vine Grenache. I know you couldn;t find it now but for a sub $20 (probably about $10 back then) 11 year old wine i had never tried anything like it it was unreal, the most earthy wine i'd had, a bit burgundy-like. I hadn't thought greanche would age that great especially a cheapy quaffer like the yalumba. Anyone else had the same experience with them?
Dad just bought a case of the 2005 on the back of the 96 but on trying this i dont reckon it could last 11 months let alone 11 years. Sweet and simple. Does anyone know what they were doing different back in the ninties?

Cheers

Greg
PS Sorry for drifting off your thread mike!

greg_L wrote:A really good one we had earlier in the year was the 1996 Yalumba Old Bush vine Grenache. I know you couldn;t find it now but for a sub $20 (probably about $10 back then) 11 year old wine i had never tried anything like it it was unreal, the most earthy wine i'd had, a bit burgundy-like. I hadn't thought greanche would age that great especially a cheapy quaffer like the yalumba. Anyone else had the same experience with them?
Dad just bought a case of the 2005 on the back of the 96 but on trying this i dont reckon it could last 11 months let alone 11 years. Sweet and simple. Does anyone know what they were doing different back in the ninties?

Cheers

Greg
PS Sorry for drifting off your thread mike!

I think they weren't putting their best grenache fruit and effort into the hand-picked range. The tri-centenary is a pretty good drop actually and should have been on my list above. The yalumba bush vine was underpriced for a while and I have fond memories of the 96 as well.

In general, before the craze of the rhone (CdP) blend, grenache was quite cheap and fantastic value. Now the fruit is more expensive the wines are as well. I'm glad to see that some of the vines weren't pulled out 10 years ago though as it is making a deserved comeback. Straight grenache is coming out from the shadow of the CdP blends in the last year or two as well. I just wish Rockford would go back to making one! They do profess to being traditionalists don't they?

cheers

Carl

We did a blind Grenache tasting a few weeks back, results of which are in one of the Sunday threads. It was an excellent experience to try a good range and lots of fun to boot. Well recommended...

Throw in some Spanish or Rhone stuff too for good measure as the styles are quite apparent I think, even to the relatively Grenache virginal.

Some of our highlights were

- Gibson
- La Curio
- something else I can't remember because I'd had too much - but it was excellent

I drink a lot of Grenache, mainly southern Rhones because they don't tend to be confected and I am basically immune to all but the worst examples of brett. You can get some ace ones around the $100 mark (Chateauneuf-du-Papes and some Gigondas, Domaine du Pegau, Clos des Papes, Domaine Marcoux) and some more reasonably priced Cotes-du-Rhone for around the $25. One that I particularly liked recently was the Domaine Charvin cdr - $30 and a most excellent wine. The '04 Guigal cdr is pretty good too, but it is Shiraz dominant.

I'm in perth, but happy to get it air freighted and I was looking at upto $100

thanks

mike

griff wrote:I have seen a 2001 Classic McLaren Grenache around the traps for under $20 which is a great buy. Had one recently and is nicely balanced now between primary fruit and secondary flavours. Good to throw in as an aged example but I wouldn't cellar it much longer.

** This is available as a cleanskin for < $10 at the moment. I have ordered some. When it arrives I will try one and post my thoughts.

Stuart

Turkey Flat Grenache (yum) and Greenock Creek Cornerstone Grenache.

2005 Samuels Gorge Grenache

If you can find it, Kalleske Old Vine Grenache.

Tim Adams The Fergus - Clare Valley
Cotos De Hayas Centenaria - Spanish Garnacha

04 SC Pannell is benchmark stuff locally.
La Curio is good
Yalumba Tri-Centenary

I have 05 d'Arenberg Derelict and 05 Kalleske on the bench.

If blends are ok there is plenty from France and Spain to choose from as well as local. 2004 d'Arenberg Original and 2005 Paxton AAA are top wines.
GW

I recommend both the Kalleske and the Greenock Creek (the '05 of each are crackers!)

Otherwise, Kilikanoon does reasonably priced one....

Schwartz Wine Co.
Greenock Creek
Kalleske Old Vine

The Veritas range (Rolf Binder Wines now I think) has a bit of grenache thrown into many of their blends too. Might be worth a look.

Wirra Wirra... the 2002 is good.

2005 Kalleske Old Vine Grenache
2004 Samuel's Gorge
2005 Turkey Flat Grenache
2002 Wirra Wirra Grenache
2005 Dog Ridge Cadenzia Grenache

Don't know if you can find the Wirra Wirra anymore, but it was a beauty.

Kalleske is the safest bet. Can't imagine anyone not being impressed.

bacchaebabe wrote:The Veritas range (Rolf Binder Wines now I think) has a bit of grenache thrown into many of their blends too. Might be worth a look.

Makes the Magpie Estate range which includes "The Fakir" which is an excellent cafe strip style grenache and "Gomersal" which is a more "serious" wine but at a more serious price. The "Gomersal" is one of the better straight grenache going around.

Please note that I have a commercial (though not retail) interest in these wines and may be somewhat biased.

Also very much like the Turkey Flat and Gibson Old Vine grenaches

Vinrock 2005 is delicious (Scott Rawlinson) - and deliberately less alcohol present. $20 or thereabouts

Davo wrote:Makes the Magpie Estate range which includes "The Fakir" which is an excellent cafe strip style grenache and "Gomersal" which is a more "serious" wine but at a more serious price. The "Gomersal" is one of the better straight grenache going around.

In my experience, the Fakir is too boozy (unbalanced) and the Gomersal is horribly over-oaked. Try before you buy I think.

I posted these tasting notes a while back.....

Please Note: This wine is in my portfolio.


2006 Longhop Old Vine Grenache

Broad aromas of sweet ripe fruit. Medium to full-bodied palate with rich flavors of cherries and plums with a hint of licorice. A luscious
rounded wine with seamless oak integration, finishing long with very
soft tannins and lingering hints of vanilla and spice. Very well structured and crafted, and fine drinking particularly as a young wine, and a perfect accompaniment for pizza or other Italian fair.


Cheers,
Maria

Like Davo, I also have a commercial interest but would highly recommend the Rolf Binder Grenaches, Torbeck Les Amis (awesome, but at a price ....), Clarendon Hills and Noon. All hard to get and none cheap ! You'll have more luck ordering Kurtz Grenache direct, and will get a case for the price of some of the alternatives.
Beware, too much of a good thing is too much for many palates, who find Grenache is jammy, overoaked and over alcohol, even at the top end of the market. Not me !
Cheers, Duncan

Don't know if it's available in Aus (although their wines are all over the world), but I'd heartily recommend the Chapoutier Chateauneuf Du Pape La Bernardine 2004. This is a fantastic wine with a great future ahead of it. Biodynamically produced I think as well. There might be a dash of syrah in it but it's usually very close to 100% Grenache.

Martin

Nobody's mentioned the Hardy's Tintara or the Penfolds Grenache.

Doesn't anyone rate these two?

Ratcatcher wrote:Nobody's mentioned the Hardy's Tintara or the Penfolds Grenache.

Doesn't anyone rate these two?

I'm pretty sure those have been mentioned.

griff wrote:
I have seen a 2001 Classic McLaren Grenache around the traps for under $20 which is a great buy. Had one recently and is nicely balanced now between primary fruit and secondary flavours. Good to throw in as an aged example but I wouldn't cellar it much longer.

Carl

I have a few of these put away and if you can pick them up for below $20 they are an absolute bargain (I think the winery may still have the odd few around). Mind you I'm with Griff, I'll be polishing mine off pretty soon, they are about as good as they'll ever be now.

Cheers,

Mark

Daryl Douglas wrote:

Ratcatcher wrote:Nobody's mentioned the Hardy's Tintara or the Penfolds Grenache.

Doesn't anyone rate these two?

I'm pretty sure those have been mentioned.

Whoops, sorry, I should read instead of scan.