Winemaker Notes
The virtues of old vines are legion. In healthy soil, they pick up a more complex array of bioavailable minerals and their deep root systems find ground water in periods of drought and heat stress. These virtues became particularly evident during the wickedly hot 2017 vintage, and that is why Besson frequently produces wines counter to the style which conventional wisdom ascribes to vintages. Indeed, this wine, our flagship, demonstrates its contrariness in a number of ways. Frequently, the most robust examples of Besson Vineyard Grenache are the lightest in color, and most strongly exhibit the Ninja tannins we are so fond of referencing. While hot years frequently bake the filigree and elegance out of wine, 2017 shows with unusual power the telltale alpine, aromatized, spice cake fragrance that distinguishes this grenache vineyard from every other. In order to amplify this quality, we have once again employed the Italian technique of appassimento, resting a small percentage of the grapes for 10 days. The result is a focusing of that Besson alpine signature, and a sequestering of the Ninja tannins to recesses of the back palate, only to come out when one has finally suspected their absence. Fermentation was native in stainless and cement, and elevage in cement and 225 & 500L neutral oak, and bottled without filtration/fining. Do not be fooled by the light color and pretty fragrance of this wine. It is built for the long haul.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
This comes from head-trained vines planted in the 1910s, near the southern flanks of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It’s saturated with flavor, from baking spice to deep red-cherry notes, and structured by ripe, concentrated tannins. It’s a grenache with exceptional composure and grace.
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Decanter
Dry-farmed bush vines on their own roots from 1910, a small proportion of appassimento grapes, matured in cement and neutral oak. A minimal-intervention style, paler red than anything from the Rho^ne. Bright, perfumed, peppery cherry. Light-bodied, very drinkable and thirst-quenching, zingy.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.