Get Your GRENACHE on!

With today's video, two wines from Costco will be discussed and tasted, both highlighting Grenache as a key component. Grenache is one of the world's most widely planted grape varieties. It thrives in warm, dry, windy Mediterranean climates. Some of the oldest commercial vineyards in the world are planted to Grenache. It's also one of the world's oldest grape varieties, with a history dating back more than 2,000 years. Simply put, if you're not drinking Grenache, you're missing out on some of the world's most interesting wines. Some of the confusion around the grape variety is based on the different names used by region or country. In France, it's Grenache, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the southern part of the country. There, it's often used as part of a blend with Syrah, Morvedra, sometimes other varieties as well. It's the primary component in the wines from the southern Rhone Valley, from basic, simple, everyday Cote du Rhone through the top-end crew wines of the region. In Spain, it goes by a number of different names, with Grenache being the most common. It's grown far and wide, being the second most common grape variety there, only behind Tempranillo. It's found in basic, everyday wines, but also in the iconic, classic, top-end bottles. You'll find it in regions like Rioja, Navarra, Campo de Borgia, Preirat. It also finds its way into a number of very good rosés. In Sardinia, it's the most common planted grape variety. There, it's known as Cannonau. Outside of Europe, Grenache is also an unsung hero. The wines get little attention, and as a result, they're often undervalued. It's commonly grown in South America, Australia, South Africa, the U.S. I've even had some very good examples from Baja, Mexico, to name a few. Solo variety Grenache is common, but so are blends, with GSM being the most common, Grenache, Syrah, Morvedra. Sometimes, the order of the three can get shuffled, depending on the individual wine producer. And since it seems like wine can never be easy, it's also worth noting there's also a Grenache Blanc and a Grenache Gris, neither of which are all that common, but if you can find it, it's definitely worth trying. The wines can be quite interesting. The first wine to be tasted is the 2020 Sela and Mosca Cannonau de Sardinia Riserva. It's made entirely from Cannonau, the local name for Grenache. They claim it comes from the largest contiguous vineyard in Europe, at over 500 hectares, or 1250 acres. The wine is aged in large neutral oak barrels. Riserva designates a higher level of ripeness versus the standard bottling. The winery was established in 1899, and over half of the wine produced by Sela and Mosca is consumed within Sardinia. The wine is not exclusive to Costco. It'll be found in lay-down bins, priced at $14.99. The appearance is typical for this sort of wine. Grenache is a thinner-skinned grape variety, and the color tends to be moderate with some fade at the edge of the glass. The extended time in barrel also reduces the color density. With this first wine, the closure is and this is really a good closure. I really like these. If you want to read about it, I'll have a link in the description down below. Now, typically in my videos, this is the type of wine glass that I use. This is a Schatzwiesel Bordeaux glass. I like the shape of it. They're not all that pricey. They tend to be very durable. I really like these. But for this video, I thought Grenache, Pinot Noir, this is the type of glass that I like to use. I picked these up a couple of months ago. It was a bit of a splurge for me, and I really love the glass. But this is why I don't buy these types of glasses often. Today, prepping for this video, being really gentle with this, and things go sideways. So, hey, what are you going to do? Now, in terms of the aroma on this wine, really typical of Grenache. You have a dark cherry characteristic, a bit of a savory spice note. Very lifted. There's nice purity here. There's just the slightest whiff of alcoholic heat. This wine checks in at 14% alcohol. Very typical for Grenache. Sometimes, it could even be a bit higher than that. So the good story continues to the palate. Wine has plenty of weight to it. Fruit's very ripe. Sometimes, in warmer growing areas, the fruit character can be a little bit jammy or stewy. This doesn't have any of that character. That savory spice, that dark cherry note certainly does show through. The oak influence here is minimal, and the oak is not so much here to dominate the wine and be a pronounced character. It's really more there to soften the wine and bring a little more refinement to it. Because keep in mind, this is older oak. The acidity is just moderate, and on the back palate, the wine is extremely soft. Now, over the years, going back 30 plus years, I've sold this wine back when I had my wine shop. Very consistent from year to year, and this type of wine really is at its best around five, six years from the vintage. So at the current time, it's at its absolute peak. I think this wine is very enjoyable. It's very well made from start to finish. This is really solid. I like this wine a lot. If you've not yet subscribed to my channel, please consider doing so right now. Hit the like button, and definitely hit that notification bell. That way you'll be kept up to speed on all things happening here. These things very much do help the YouTube algorithm to push my videos out to a broader audience. It's much appreciated. This next wine is exclusive to Costco. This is the 2023 Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This is from the southern Rhone Valley of France. I've reviewed this wine in previous vintages, but the 2023 was not easy to find for me. This is a warm Mediterranean climate. The fruit tends to get very ripe, and the subsequent wines tend to have a good deal of density and elevated alcohol levels. This one checks in at 15%. The primary grape variety is Grenache at 70%, with 10% each of Syrah, Morvedra, and Cinsault. The wine is produced by the same source as the prior few vintages. This is a seasonal offer. It tends to sell through quickly. It's priced at $18.99. The appearance of this wine is a bit deeper and denser, with more of a purple color than the previous wine. This is due to the use of some Syrah and Morvedra in the blend, and also because this wine has less aging versus the first bottle. Okay, let's see what's going on in the wine glass. So the aroma is a bit surprising. This wine's only been open a few minutes, and it immediately has that bright red fruit character. There's something here that's a bit reminiscent of Asian five spice, a little peppery character. It's very expressive, quite lifted out of the glass. I thought this was going to need some time to really develop, but just after a few minutes, it's really quite expressive. I'm impressed. It smells quite good. So this wine has some volume to it. It's weighty, dense, very full. The fruit is very ripe. There's nothing green or lean about this wine whatsoever. That red fruit character, a little peppery note follows through. Very typical of wines from the Southern Rhone. Again, the alcohol level is ticked up a little bit, but it's not any of that stewy or jammy characteristic to it. Very nice. On the back palate, there's some grippy tannins, and it leads me to believe that this wine actually could age two or three years. I don't think this is made for long-term cellaring. And in terms of style, this is very much more of a modern style of Chateauneuf du Pape. It's very polished, elegant, refined. And if you like that sort of style, if you like the very modern style, I think this would be to your liking. For the money, for under $20 per bottle, you really can't beat this. This is one heck of a value. So I should have mentioned this early on. I'm a huge fan of Grenache, so much so that here it is. Now in today's video, two very different expressions of that grape variety. The first one, the one from Sardinia, much more of an old-school traditional style. The second one, the Kirkland Chateauneuf du Pape, more of a modern style. It's really more a matter of which you prefer. I think both are actually very good. And right now, I'm drinking the wine from Sardinia. I hope you're drinking something interesting as well. And as always, thank you very much for supporting my channel. And please stop back again before too long. Cheers!