Friday, August 23rd
5-8pm
Flight of 6 wines for $25 ($15 club)
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Grenache (or Garnacha or Garnatxa or Alicante or Cannonau) is one of the world's most widely planted and recognized grapes, and is the workhorse behind some of its most iconic blends (Châteauneuf-du-Pape & Gigondas in the Southern Rhône, and in Rioja & Priorat in Spain's northeastern corner, to name only a few). But does Grenache's high name recognition mean that its varietal character is equally as understood? The (not so) simple answer: not exactly.
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Grenache thrives in the dry heat of Spain, where it's thought to have originated. It's no surprise then, that it arguably reached its pinnacle in France's Southern Rhône, where pronounced sun exposure and the famous stones (galets roulés) and mistral winds offer the perfect conditions for the dark, brooding black fruits and charred earth that is widely considered the hallmark of the variety. But if we can be so bold: Grenache is so much more than that. Far be it from us to argue the validity of an iconic region like Châteauneuf-du-Pape claiming to be the pinnacle of varietal expression... but the tension and elegance that Angela Osborne draws from the cool pockets of the east-west ranging Santa Ynez Valley has an equally valid argument; as does her lively and fresh expression from the Cucamonga Valley, just east of Los Angeles. In Spain's Navarro DO, just set back from the border with Rioja, Garnacha Tinto vines are interspersed with Garnacha Roya (a somatic mutation) in an old vineyard, and blended together create one of the most deliciously perplexing expressions of the varietal you can find. And Gigondas, often called Châteauneuf-du-Pape's little brother, can make a compelling case for being Grenache's true spiritual homeland in the Southern Rhône, especially in the capable hands of producers like Jean-Christian Mayordome's Domaine du Pourra.
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We're pouring all of the above (+ Grenache Blanc and Grenache Rosé!) at the bar on Friday to show the full scope of what Grenache can do. Each of these wines cuts an entirely different profile; you might just forget they're all based on a single variety!