Girl on Grenache

Yalumba Bush Vine Grenache: $15.99

When I was 14 my mother lost her wedding ring at the beach. We did what all people do when they lose jewelry on the beach; we rented metal detectors. Within hours I was sweeping the beach with a tool that resembled a light saber crossed with a cane: not a great accessory for an angst ridden teenager. What was worse was that I was suddenly one of “those” people, folks so miserly that they spend their day looking for hidden jewels while developing scoliosis in the process. Amazingly, we found the ring along with a number of razors and tin cans. Each time the detector (brand name “The Barracuda”) buzzed, fellow collectors would pop their heads up with a scowl to see if we had skeeched something good. I had a permanent eye roll the whole way home.

While most misers leave me with a bad taste in my mouth, this weekend I stumbled across a miser that I love: the Yalumba Bush Vine Grenache 2007. Miser wine? Yes. Grenache is a serious worker bee in its early years; the vines produce multiple bottles of wine per bush, but as the vines age over 25 years, they turn into nasty and selfish little squirrels producing barely one bottle per bush. I can almost imagine these old bushes out with their Barracudas giving bad tips to their waiters. While not particularly giving, the old vines produce a high quality grape. This Yalumba wine comes from grapes that have been aged 30-70 years: crotchety yet delicious.

Perhaps I am not that familiar with Grenache because it is always overshadowed by other Rhone varietals. The funny thing is that this is the most planted red grape variety in the world; it’s just that it is usually blended with other reds.

I like this red for summer because it is fruity and light but not thin like a disappointing pinot noir for example. One could pair this old magpie with almost anything, a tuna steak on the grill or bbq chicken would be a good bet. I was really blown away by this wine and will be drinking it a lot this summer. At $15.99 you don’t even have to spend an extra hour on the beach looking for spare change to buy it.

Tags: Australia, Australian red, grenache, Red Wine, Sarah Osteen
Category: Girl on Grape | Comments (1)

Terry Hoage Vineyards

Terry Hoage is a large man.  Terry Hoage is not large like other men are large; he is the special kind of huge only seen in those born to be professional athletes.  There is a menacing quality to his size, a reminder that he once made his living assaulting equally large men.  A former All-American and Super Bowl champion, Mr. Hoage patrolled the defensive backfield for a number of teams over 13 NFL seasons.  I was, therefore, more than a little bit surprised when I heard that he would be stopping by the shop to promote his Paso Robles winery.

What was more surprising was the overwhelming quality of Mr. Hoage’s wines.  Using Rhone varietals, the College Football Hall of Famer manages to suggest the spicy depth of the eponymous river valley while expressing the intensity of Paso Robles.  As with the mountain-grown Garnacha of northern Spain, Paso’s hot days and cool nights definitely produce a focused structure in Hoage’s Grenache, named “Skins” for his former employers the Washington Redskins.  Hoage’s blackberry and violet-laden Syrah benefits from the the vineyard’s calcerous soil, which retains moisture and promotes later ripening and development of the grape.  Ultimately, what is most notable about all of Mr. Hoage’s wines is the care with which he cultivates and produces them.

None of the Hoage wines can be construed as cheap.  The hand-crafted character of the wines coupled with a tiny production volume means these are special occasion purchases for most wine buyers.  That being said,  when that special occasion does arise, keep these wines in mind, you will not be disappointed.

J.

Tags: all-american, blackberry, calcerous, football, garnacha, grenache, nfl, paso robles, rhone, syrah, terry hoage, violet, washington redskins
Category: The Wine Blog | Comments (0)