I’m beginning to believe in biodynamics and I might be in a fruit-phase because this is the second wine in two days so ridiculously flush with amazing floral-infused berry in the nose. Nah… that’s all hooey, but still. This is not a wine pulling copious Pinot notes as in “Grenache delivers what Pinot promises”. Nope. This one’s headed into Syrah territory and is GORGEOUS. Purple-blue in the glass with a pink rim, nowhere is your grenache-garnet and the bouquet peeling gobs of sharp fruit, spicy structure, and tar-infused vegetal… but the true difference is when you taste it.
In the mouth, it goes Carignane-Syrah-Mourvedre in feel: thin and sharp, packed with stony bluster and funky brightness. Brilliantly tannic–even from entry–peppery blackberry and a rush of spicy briar control the palate. Achingly structured, teeth-wiping aspects of which are impossible to ignore. There’s a late-cherubic roundness of bruised berry hinting at Pinot and regional Garnacha, but only if you squint real hard. Ridiculously balanced and delicious, it manages deep tobacco and leather savory under-pinning high-notes of fruit and acid. This is how shit’s supposed to be made, boys & girls. What a beautiful wine.
2019 THE GRENACHISTA Grenache Noir Mathis Vyd. Sonoma Valley California 14.1
Stephen McConnell 
Biodynamic is hooey. The other side of this is our bodies definitely go through daily rhythms as well as I believe longer phase rhythms that change our smell abilities. I find this true when I try wines at the winery from barrel (which we should do together sometime). Some days it just doesn’t seem to sing as much – but it seems much more likely that the sensing unit is more/less sensitive than the wine is actually changing.
Cheers, Donald
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