What did I come home to after work on Monday? My wife had done a little poking around BevMo and hooked up her man with some new vino. A Cotes-du-Rhone red, a Sangiovese from one of my favorite California makers, and this Spanish Grenache.
My first grenache. Exploring new varieties is fun.
So, to start, the color on this wine is a rusty, deep red. It has hints of brown and orange around the edges, looks very rustic and strong.
On the nose are some very interesting notes of raspberry and other red fruit, chocolate, and an earthy turf note. Perhaps even mossy. Not enough to overpower the red fruit, however, which stands out.
The wine is dry and relatively light on the palate. Heavy pepper notes meet with the raspberry and earthiness from the nose, and the wine finishes quickly, but leaves some of the pepper behind. Both Heather and I thought of it as a lighter-bodied zinfandel.
All in all, very enjoyable… and, perhaps even better, it can be had for less than $15. Here’s one such place. I think the pepper and red fruit, combined with the wines light-to-medium-bodied mouthfeel would pair very nicely with steak. Just leave the Montreal seasoning off this time.
Verdict: 86/100