This 2003 bottling marks our third year of producing a varietal Grenache, and by now I can safely say that it has earned a permanent spot in our portfolio of wines.

One of my favorite vineyard sites is Alisos Vineyard, from which I source quite a few different varietals, including great Syrah.  I reasoned that wherever great Syrah grows so will great Grenache.  I was able to convince Loren Colahan, the winegrower at Alisos vineyard to graft an acre of his Chardonnay over to Grenache for me.  He selected a rare clone that came from Italy.  The clusters have very large berries, and lots of them, making an average cluster weigh one pound or more.  Three passes were made during the growing season to drop excess fruit to balance the vines.

The fruit was harvested on October 10th at an average sugar of 26.5 Brix with excellent acidity.  The grapes were destemmed and put into our small open top fermenters.  We allowed the grapes to soak five days before adding yeast to begin the fermentation.  This enhanced the pick up of the color from the skins.  Fermentation lasted for 26 days after which the wine was pressed off and settled in a tank before going to stainless steel drums.  This is a technique I have developed which I feel preserves the wonderful aromatics of the grape.  The wine was bottled in February.

Unlike my other red wines, Grenache elicits more fun responses from tasters which is perfectly understandable.  The wine has exuberant cherry aromas with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.  On the palate the wine is rich and soft initially, and then the silky tannins come forth, accentuated by acidity, leaving a dusty but long taste impression. With another six to twelve months of bottle aging the tannins will integrate with the flavors of the wine.

You will notice that we have chosen to use plastic corks for this wine.  This will reduce the incidence of cork taint to zero but will mean that the wine should be consumed within the next two years.  This works perfect for a wine like Grenache which is enjoyed best when it is young.  Chill slightly and serve with summer barbeques.

Composition: 100% Grenache: Alisos Vineyard

Production: 48 cases
Alcohol by volume: 14.5%

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