Winemaker Notes
The beautiful bouquet is filled with Asian Pear, crushed oyster shells, white flowers, and evergreen forest. Vibrant flavors of lime, pistachio, Grapefruit peel, and just a hint of rosemary evolve into a crunchy mid-palate that fans out on the long lingering finish - staying focused with a wonderful vein of salinity throughout.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Fermented in concrete and amphora, the 2023 Grenache Blanc Alice is a vibrant, crunchy rendition of the variety while sacrificing none of its floral poise. It sports a fresh, vibrant nose of white flowers, crushed chalk and citrus pith nestled within a stone fruit-driven richness. The palate is a delicious combination of supple and bright, with laser focus and pleasing tension through the finish.
Producing full-bodied white wines, Grenache Blanc can be unctuous and soft or floral and fresh. Some of the finest examples are terroir-driven, age-worthy wines. It is a key ingredient in white Châteauneuf-du-Pape and many white blends across southern France and NE Spain. Somm Secret—Grenache Blanc plays a key role in the vins doux naturels of Rivesaltes and a subsidiary role in those of Banyuls and Maury.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.