Wine Tasting, March 24, 2018: Grenache from France, Spain & Sardinia

Legado del Moncayo Blanca, Campo de Borja 2016

Regular Price $13.99

Sale price $10.99

Produced from the la Blasa vineyard, the only plot of Garnacha Blanca (white-skinned Grenache) the winery owns. The bouquet offers up a ripe, yet vibrant blend of melon, pear, fennel, and floral notes and a touch of minerals . On the palate the wine is full-bodied and bright with good acidity and fine length and grip on the well-balanced finish. This is really a lot of wine for the price!

Domaine de Fontsainte ‘Gris de Gris’ Rosé, Corbières 2017

Regular Price $17.99

Sale price $13.99

70% Grenache Gris and Grenache Noir; 10% Mourvèdre; 10% Carignan; 10% Cinsault. The wine immediately gives off notes of raspberry, cherry and freshly picked strawberries – followed by exotic aromas such as pineapple and mango. The density and richness of the fruit mingle with the bright acidity giving the wine both freshness and persistency.

Domaine Lafond ‘Roc-Epine’, Lirac 2016

Regular Price $22.99

Sale price $17.99

Grenache 50%, Roussanne 30%, Viognier 20%. Bright and fresh with lime, apricot and floral aromas and flavors. Rich and full, its boasts enough crispness to serve as an aperitif and enough weight to carry the meal

Argiolas ‘Costera’, Cannonau di Sardegna 2015

Regular price: $19.99

Sale Price: $15.99

Costera, a name referring to hills, is made from Cannonau (Garnacha or Grenache). It is the workhorse red grape of Sardinia where it is likely to have arrived centuries ago from Spain, (although an alternative theory suggests that Cannonau originated in Sardinia and from there to Spain). Flavors of very ripe strawberries, black cherries, herbs, and spices jump from the glass. French oak barriques provide rounded tannins and flavors of vanilla. The warmth and intense sunlight of southern Sardinia can be seen and felt in the wine with unexpectedly deep color and fullness on the palate.

Envinate ‘Albahra’, Almansa 2016

Regular Price $22.99

Sale price $17.99

Albahra’ is a 30 year-old vineyard single vineyard divided into 3 parcels at 800 meters elevation in the Almansa region, around the town of Albacete.  The grape is Garnacha Tintorera (or Alicante Bouchet), and the soils are chalky, clay-calcareous. The wine is remarkably fresh with earthy dark fruit and spice – a great wine to pair with savory dishes, like roasted meats, sausages, mushrooms, and rice dishes, like paella or arroz negro.

Chateau de Caladroy ‘Cuvée les Schistes, Côtes de Roussillon Villages  2015

Regular price: $18.99

Sale Price: $14.99

A blend of Syrah, Carignan, Grenache noir and Mourvèdre, the wine, due to the soils on this rugged mountain ridge that are a mix of sand and clay on top of black schist, show deep fruit flavors of dense blackberry and plum. Full and rich with a balancing mineral streak, the wine nonetheless dances rathers than plods with impressive vitality.