2004 GRENACHE “PURISIMA MOUNTAIN VINEYARD”
- Notes Coming Soon

2004 GRENACHE “PURISIMA MOUNTAIN VINEYARD”

This wine is 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah all from the Purisima Mountain Vineyard in the hills just west of the town of Los Olivos. The vineyard is owned by the Beckmen family, who in the last five years has evolved this vineyard into one of the best on the Central Coast. Those of you paying attention know that we produced wonderful Grenache from this vineyard in 2000, 2001 and 2002, but not in 2003 (too little crop). This ’04 is similar to the delicious ’01.

We used five barrels of Grenache “Tablas Clone,” two barrels of Grenache “Clone 3” and forty gallons of syrah to make the blend.

The various lots were fermented in small open top fermenters with manual punchdown twice a day. Aging was in neutral French oak barrels for 10 months. Grenache tends to oxidize easily so we don’t rack and aerate it like we do Syrah. Co-winemaker Jim Adelman says that Grenache gives Rhône producers a taste of how difficult it is to make Pinot Noir. It is a temperamental variety in the vineyard and in the cellar, but when it’s right, it is delicious elixir.

This ’04 is juicy, sappy, spicy Grenache with hints of wild cherry, thyme, and pepper. The flavors follow the aromas, wrapped around bright acidity and modest tannins. It’s a big wine but still under 15% alcohol, somewhat modest for Grenache, it carries itself well.