Winemaker Notes
This wine exhibits a highly amplified Amaro/Chinato/mountain herb scent, along with an intense raspberry liqueur quality. This fraction is aged separately, and most of it is blended back into the main cuvée before bottling, and greatly amplifies the true DNA of wines made in this corner of the Santa Clara Valley - that boreal alpine, liqueur deliciousness which makes the wine taste like nothing else but Grenache, and like no other Grenache. This may be our best vintage yet.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From vines planted in 1910 and fermented in a combination of puncheon and barrique, the 2023 Grenache Besson Vineyard Old Vines is an unusually high-toned, perfumed and expressive version of the varietal, opening with an enticing mix of red fruits, fresh flowers, curry leaf and bay laurel aromas. The palate is both lithe and lifted yet staining and saturated, transitioning into a glacial, intense finish propelled by grainless yet intensely grippy tannins. This is a fantastic expression of California Grenache that should perform well beyond its first decade.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Given a Central Coast designation, the 2023 Grenache Besson Vineyard Old Vines comes from a corner of the Santa Clara Valley not far from Santa Cruz. Tightly wound in cool-climate intensity, it delivers layers of wild strawberry, cracked white pepper, and chalky tannin, with a chewiness that reiterates its youth.
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.