This is some fiercely acidic stuff. Purple-pink out to the rim, transparent and lovely, but oh man is it a biting mouthful. Gorgeous funky nose going almost-pinot in character, but pulling sharply away at the last moment. Layers of woodsy earth in bouquet, the fruit distilled down into black cherry with careful looks. Nothing prepares you for the brash entry. But here it comes:

Thin and vivacious on the tongue, this is NOT your swelling Paso hi-alc syrup #winebro gets on mailing lists for. Rather, it presents an olfactory and palatel situation only geeks will relish. The brashness knows no end; the ridiculous thin crispness no amount of decanting will dispel; pie-cherry piquantness at once savory and again: harsh and unforgiving. These wines seem to be morphing–happily–toward a higher-element where winemaker seems less-and-less focused on concentration and fruit-decadence and more and more dedicated to lavish presentations of varietal focus. THIS is where Grenache needs to be: a chilling rendition in the glass of situations far from common American palates and more directed at Euro-examples: acid and un-sultry presentations of maceration. It’s young. It’s unsettled and brash. It makes your toes curl on infantile points of reference which will placate with some *settling-down*. I’m guessing 13-1 and the ripeness needed is all there–just in a package invigorating to drink at this juncture. Buy a case: drink one a year.

2021 THE GRENACHISTA Grenache Noir Mathis Vyd Sonoma Valley 13.2

https://thegrenachista.com/