2017 The Grenachista
Divvy-Up
80 Points
A gorgeous glowing transparent dark ruby. The density of fruit is the first thing to hit the nose, cherry pie with hints of blueberry cheesecake and rum. Shifting into maraschino cherry and Chinese five spices. The floral aspects really kick in then, aromatic violets and lilly. On the palate, this is our big boy - full of black fruit and cherry across the whole experience. Fresh and alive, aspects of root beer and hard candy then lead to the abundant tannin. In my opinion, this wine screams Gigondas. If you're looking for a Rhone wine from Vaucluse made in California, step right up. And this fella is going to age just as well
Winemaking
The fruit was picked the night of September 11th. One of the earliest picks from this site. We gently destemmed into a stainless steel tank. It was then cold soaked for five days. After which time, we allowed native, indigenous yeast to start fermentation. The primary fermentation lasted 14 days at which pointed we sealed the tank and allowed the wine to steep on the skins for an additional 30 days. Then it was pressed into once used French oak barrels, keeping the press wine separate. It aged for 23 months, undisturbed, except for a monthly topping and bottled in August of 2019, unfiltered and unfined.
Comments
Mathis Vineyards
Tucked above Sonoma's west side on perfect southern facing slopes lies the Mathis Vineyard. Planted by Peter Mathis of Ravenswood fame, the vineyard is dedicated to Grenache. Peter raised some eyebrows from neighboring grape growers when he sought out and planted rare Grenache clones noted for their small berries and strong tannin character, but his passion for growing the best Grenache has played itself out into many accolades over the years including Best of Show and many Gold Medals at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
the.Grenachista just received the 2021 harvest from the Mathis Vineyard, and here he true to form preparing the fruit for fermentation with his own two feet. Looks like fun Casey.
I was lucky enough to get this wine back in mid-July, so I apologize first for some slightly spotty notes--when I was recording I thought I'd be remembering for a day or two, not around five weeks! I own that--my bad.
After receiving the wine, I let it rest for two full days at 58º. I told myself up front that I wanted to pair this wine with two meals, so I had to stop myself from drinking it all the first night, and I didn't really think that would be a problem given that my SO generally doesn't love Grenache.
Observationally tangential, the bottle looks and feels nice, high quality, and solid. The front label fills a huge amount of area and was a little worse-for-wear in transit, but as long as the stuff inside was in good shape, it kinda added to the mystique of the rebelliousness. The cork extracted cleanly, had minimal staining, but also appeared a little shaggy; again--still not the wine.
I made a spicy basil marinara with legit San Marzano tomatoes served alongside parmesan-crusted Brussels sprouts (spoiler: turned out to be a fantastic pairing). While the sauce finished simmering and the noodles boiled, I popped the cork and poured modest servings into strangely oversized glasses that just called to me for this wine. Take a peek at the wine, I was excited by the dark ruby hues that presented in the depths of the glass, and intrigued by the cherry red at the edges; a quick swirl in the glass showed the wine to be free of particulates and demonstrating exquisitely slow, long legs in the glass, I was ready to start the experience in earnest with a snuff. My capricious selection of glassware was immediately rewarded as I stuffed my nose into the glass and felt like I'd walked into a bouquet of flowers in full bloom, lined with white cherry. I literally kept pushing my nose back into the glass and breathing in the delightful melange of aromas until I was rudely interrupted by the timer indicating the noodles were ready.
My initial notes indicate I found hints of fresh-ripe strawberry and tart cherries, moving into a slight sensation of sweetness with some spices I couldn't quite identify yet. Good tannin structure, and when I took the first sip after a bite of noodles more flavors exploded and I pulled anise, cloves, and cinnamon, and the finish suggested tobacco and oregano that had pretty significant staying power. The wine stood up wonderfully to the spicy tomato sauce, and even played well with the parm-sprouts. As the wine warmed from cellar temp to table temp in the glass, I found more black pepper and black fruits and (no longer) tart cherries that complimented the previously intonated spice palate. I kept sticking my nose into the glass, impressed at the complex aromas until I looked across the table and my counterpart's glass was empty and being pushed toward the bottle, despite the plate only being a third consumed. (Insert my shocked face.)
By this point I'd already been preparing the day two dinner, so I–as kindly as possible–declined to pour more, and reminded that sous vide short rib was to come in a mere day's wait. I left the wine stoppered, on the counter, until the following evening before pouring into stemless glasses. The short rib was paired with white cheddar bacon grits and smashed Yukon gold potatoes, with a few stalks of grilled asparagus on my plate. This second night, the amazing assault on my olfactory senses was mild-mannered, but still quite complex with a less distinguishable floral sense, strong white cherries, and some newly-developed hints of cocoa nibs. Despite the change on the nose, I did not find the flavors to have morphed much aside from a lessening of the perceived sweetness. Paired with this meal, the wine felt matched, but not mated. It stood up well with the beef flavors, the fats from the bacon, and struck a very pleasant chord with the asparagus. Just look at how dark that wine is!
I was quite happy to have gotten this bottle to sample as I've wanted to have more of Casey's wine, and I am convinced he's onto something. Many thanks to the good folk at Divvy-Up and of course, the winemaker himself, without which I would have missed out on this delightful experience.
I'm a huge Grenache fan so I was excited to try this Grenache Noir from The Grenachista. It is medium ruby in color and showcases an array of aromas on the nose. Notes of strawberry and raspberry sauce are delicate yet front and center with plum and black cherry mingling perfectly. Black tea, clove, dried herbs, a hint of cinnamon and a whiff of violet balance out the senses.
On the palate, the grippy tannins will catch your attention with a nice complexity between the earthiness and herbal notes. I get more black fruit on the palate, including, black cherry, blackberry and plum. Although this is a great wine now, it certainly has the potential to age. I would recommend putting it in the cellar for a couple years.
Thank you for sharing, cheers!
~Brooke
8 bottles up for grab for anyone in the Houston area
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