After the light, beautiful little version in flint the other day, I was looking for something a little more seriouser from the Grenache king. This is my first outing with his Carneros bottling, and expectations are high. Ridiculously vegetal on the nose: a muddy briar rife with eucalyptus and chopped weedy greenery. Dark, concentrated berry lies below, a plummy sort of fruit-punch perfection with grimy edges. A bright pink rims clear blueish purple.
Intense saline on the front of the palate. Like: SALTY. I haven’t experienced saline nuances of this level since Valle de Guadalupe. SERIOUSLY salty. The fruit behind is sharp with acidity though rather full-bodied, the peppery aspects over-shadowing voluptuousness. The saline comes back for a re-visit in the finish, where it clashes terribly with bitter dryness. Odd and unbalanced, this wine is conflicted with deep irrational issues and I am in not love with it.
2021 THE GRENACHISTA Grenache Noir Cottonwood Vyd Carneros Napa Valley 14.1
Stephen McConnell 