Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Aged in neutral puncheons, this wine has aromas that pop, recalling white pepper, dried herbs, raspberry compote, strawberries and spice. The flavors are rich and intense but still maintain a sense of lightness and purity. The depth of the fruit is impressive, with wonderful texture and richness that come in waves. A long, sustained finish caps it off.
Editors' Choice -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Grenache Upland Vineyard wafts from the glass with notes of sweet red berries, spices, rose petal and candied peel. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, supple and satiny, with an expansive attack and a sweet core of fruit, framed by fine-grained tannins and succulent acids. It's very pretty and transparent.
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.
A seven-mile long anticline ridge with a peak at nearly 1,300 feet, the Snipes Mountain AVA has rocky soils and is home to about 30 different grape varieties. It was also one of the first regions in Washington State to plant Semillon and Pinot Noir.