We were pretty impressed with the flavor when we did a small tasting during bottling, and we imagined the wine would be ready to drink quickly relative to other reds because of its faint tannins and already-developed fruit flavors. So when we uncorked a bottle three months later at the beginning of March 2013, we expected very good things.
The flavor profile hasn't changed a great deal since last time, with red fruit still the predominant nose and taste. Commonly mentioned fruit flavors included raspberry and blackberry, with strawberry, currant, and pomegranate also coming through sometimes. The tannin character is faint light but noticeable, giving the wine just a little structure but not drying it out too much. And the finish is still pleasantly rich, with slight chocolate and spice flavors emerging this time.
Comparing to a prototypical Grenache, ours has the same light color (for a red, that is--it was best described as "ruby" in contrast to the deep purple of "bigger" reds) and relatively high alcohol (we estimated it at 14.5%). The dominant flavors are mostly the same, but ours is relatively more acidic that most Grenaches tend to be.
The sediment is still a problem, but we were able to pour four generous glasses from a bottle and discarded maybe a third of a glass of highly sedimented dregs. Filtration through cheesecloth or a coffee filter probably would have helped.
Since we first tasted it back in December, our Grenache has only gotten better, and for our first "real" vintage, the mere fact that we made wine instead of vinegar is quite an accomplishment. As always, we'd be happy to arrange a tasting if you're interested! We hope you'll find it an agreeable and relaxing wine that brings you to your lowest energy state.
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