Category: Grenache

2016 Bodegas del Jalon Las Pizarras del Jalon Garnacha Calatayud

This has what could be a lot of dry extract. The bottom of the cork in contact with the liquid left a thick purple stain on the fingers. Rich in flavour too. The back label says tiny concentrated grapes and no oak to interfere. No hyperbole there. Deep drying flavours of blackberry, chocolate, spice and old fireplaces. Still kept fresh with a bit of natural tasting acid crunch. Almost like they put the must in a whizz banger food blender. Garnacha smoothie full of grape bits that are good for you.

14% alcohol. Cork. 10 euros.

91 points.

2009 Bodegas Aragónesas Ecce Homo Garnacha Crianza Campo de Borja

Casa Perdiguer is an authentically local bodega in Zaragoza whose main business appears to be locals bringing in their recycled two litre PET bottles to be refilled with fresh nearly zero km Garnacha. Doesn’t look like much money changes hands either. Their bottled red wine selection extends from Aragón as far as Rioja and Duero but no further. Keen to indulge more locally, this ten year old was a special at 8 euros, Ecce, a bargain by heck. Despite a dodgy cork, a Spanish specialty, the contents poured bright and clean. Developing aromas of rich cherry, almost cassis, chocolate and mocha, all mingling together. Rich mouthful of the same, just at its zenith and just holding up. For all the riches, that life enhancing acidity of the Campo keeps it bright and crimson. As former northern English compatriots used to exclaim, Ecky thump, that’s champion.

14% alcohol. Cork. 8 euros.

92 points.

2017 Locos por el Vino Zismero Garnacha Campo de Borja

An everyday range from those crazies for wine includes this affordable clown. Nothing silly about the wine though, bright and clean as countryside after rain, fresh red cherries, touch of flowery perfume, spices and some gritty soil. The crunch brought forward by some uncrushed berries in the making and finished off with a satisfying smack of acidity and a brush of tannin. Nowhere near the density of their Gruñón or the Alto Moncayo gear but all the easier at the table for that. Extreme bargain territory, no joke.

14% alcohol. Diam, hooray. 4.75 euros!

90 value points.

2016 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Veraton Garnacha

Very old vine Grenache from the hills west of Zaragoza in the ancient kingdom of Aragón. An venerable resource of Garnacha, now increasingly appreciated for the depth and V8 power of its fruit. If you’re after the fragrant lighter Pinot of the south you won’t find it here. Clean fresh oak hits first. Swirling the glass a bit more and black cherries, kirsch and something dark, scrubby herb and sun baked earthy compete and then merge. Big mouthful of the same very black cherries and as ripe a raspberry as there could be. Dark carbon and that sun warmed earth too. A peppery alcoholic burst gets put back in its place by some very soft melting ripe tannin and surprisingly mouthwatering settled acidity. It’s a hell of a big mouthful but it all seems to fit together.

15.50% alcohol! Cork. 27 euros in the local bodega but this one was an extremely kind gift from the amazingly generous crew at Borsao and Alto Moncayo.

93 points.

2018 Oliver Conti Indispensable Negre Empordà DO

Another Grenache Carignan blend with a small addition of Cabernet Sauvignon this time. Medium bodied, clean and indeed indispensable for the table without too much analysis, except for around here of course. Red crunchy fruits backed up by woody herbs and that serious faced tug of Catalan stoney resolution. Impressive how the ripeness pushes into sweet Grenache warm pleasure but still holds a cut of cool glistening acid. Just like the beach weather today, languid 26 degrees of late summer sun freshened by the cool Tramontane breeze blowing down from the Pyrenees.

13.50% alcohol. Cork. Good wine for all at 7 euros in the local supermarket.

90 points of assured pleasure.

2018 La Vinyeta Heus Negre. Empordà DO

From the Catalan hills close to Dali’s Figueres this is the red or negre from La Vinyeta’s basic range. It seems this particular vintage is mostly Cabernet Franc and Grenache Noir with a little bit of Carignan or Samsò as it goes locally. Past vintages appear to have been mostly Grenache and Carignan, more typical of the hills on both sides of the arbitrary Catalan frontier as the Spanish side view it. Nonetheless this is a delicious bargain. Fresh but full clean aromas of dark raspberries, dried cherries, hints of rosemary and an austere rocky cut from the wind and sun blasted hills where grape growing’s a tough game. The initial reductive surliness airs and there’s a mouthful of truthful fruit carrying all those dark berries and gnarled country flavours. Catalan for red wine is Vi Negre it seems. Tried to pronounce it and it came out sounding like vinegar, nothing could be further from the truth as this stayed rich and staunch over three days.

14% alcohol. Cork. An astonishing 6.70 euros in the local beach side Costa Brava supermarket.

92 points.

2017 Borsao Clasico Garnacha

Pretty label for a pretty good value Grenache. A variety that seems to thrive in the Campo de Borja which looks dry, sun blasted and windswept. Going to travel that way soon, so hope it’s hospitable to this Grenache aficionado. This is medium bodied, clean, fragrant with sweetly floral fruit. Good focus of evenly ripened red fruits and a drag of fine tannin and acid. That’s the thing about Garnacha from this bit of Spain, fine flavour ripeness and the preservation of natural, mineral acidity. There’s no great complexity or concentration but there is character and place. Puts many $20 to $30 Rhônes to shame. Mucho delicious.

14% alcohol. Screw cap. Amazing under $10 worth of value from Dan Murphy’s direct imports.

90 delicious Grenache ponits.

2018 Cirillo The Vincent Grenache

It’s unusual for the words finesse and Barossa to appear in the same sentence but it can’t be avoided here. Perfect musky, red fruit ripeness. Some whole berries in the ferment push the plush brightness and a fine phenolic grip keep the scales perfectly balanced. All the good bits of Grenache grown where it’s happy and no awkward heat, green acid or tannin. It just flows gently, builds sweet fruit and then waves bye with some graceful grip. It’ll be fascinating to see how it ages. Will it get deeper fruited or just lose its brightness? Venerable vines, great purity and just over a twenty. Heart warming generosity.

14% alcohol. Screwcap. $22!

94 points.

2018 Chapel Hill McLaren Vale Bush Vine Grenache

Comfortable, cuddly and a generous girth but balanced on nimble feet. Reasonably darkly coloured. Gentle but expressive wafts of plum and soil. The palate comes to life with deeply poised dark musky berries, SA coal black and dark chocolate. Structurally this really scores. Beautiful drag of firm ripe tannin that sort of feels a bit whole bunch but could be old vine small berry skins? The acidity’s well settled into the tannin too, yum. So at ease with itself and proud of where it comes from.

14% alcohol. Screwcap. $20 special offer for Dan’s members, normally $30 and still a bargain.

93 points.

2018 The Other Wine Co. McLaren Vale Grenache

A little reticent at first for what should be an exuberant South Australian, perhaps it’s only just been squashed into the bottle? Raspberry and wine gums, some sweet baking spices and woody stems. Really bright, clean and properly ripe but holds together with comfortable acidity and firm stem tannins. Gets a lot more talkative over three days of sipping. The back label doesn’t bluster when it says, right grape, right place. Just needs to add it’s also made to express the sense of place which isn’t obscured by oak or over ripeness.

14% alcohol. Screwcap. $26.

92 points.