Nine of the world’s greatest Grenaches

Patrick Schmitt MW selects the best Grenaches money can buy following a series of masterclasses in London, Hong Kong and New York.

Since 2015, db has been promoting the greatness of Grenache through a series of educational comparative tastings around the world in partnership with Yangarra Estate

Since 2015, the drinks business has been promoting the greatness of Grenache through a series of educational comparative tastings around the world in partnership with Yangarra Estate, a property based in the McLaren Vale, and owned by Jackson Family Wines.

During these events, we have presented a selection of top-end, mostly varietal Grenaches with Yangarra winemaker, Peter Fraser, who is a specialist regarding the grape, having made wine from at the property since 2000, where he crafts the flagship High Sands Grenache, created using biodynamically-farmed fruit from bush vines planted as long ago as 1946.

The aim of these events has not only been to show wine buyers and commentators how good Grenache-based wines can be, but also the best places to grow the grape, and the stylistic variation possible.

Having held masterclasses around the world over a number of years, we have now compiled a selection of ten of the top Grenaches on the market today.

We are aware that other great examples exist, and further suggestions are always welcome, but all the wines below prove that Grenache, in db’s view, can be used to create truly fine wine.

Yangarra, Old Vine Grenache, Kangarilla, McLaren Vale, Australia, 2015

Grape type: 100% Grenache
Soil type: Weathered sands
Vineyard: Bush vines planted in 1946, biodynamic, dry-farmed
Winemaking: 9 months in 100% older French oak
Production: 1,905 cases
ABV: 14.5%
pH: 3.15
Approx retail price: $22

Grenache is one of those rare grapes that can be used to craft truly fine wines as well as juicy, fruity, good value quaffable types – the sort one is relieved to find as a house wine at a basic bistro.

This wine, however, at around £20, falls somewhere between, but must be one of the world’s best value Grenaches, and indeed red wines. Loaded with red fruits, dried flowers, and fine tannins, this is a generous, structured and complex wine that can be drunk immediately or kept for a few years to soften and gain more layers of flavour.

While it’s certainly packed with ripe, sweet fruit, don’t expect a jammy and spirity style of Grenache – this is fresh and balanced red, and the 2015 vintage is drinking wonderfully now.

Domaine de Cristia, Vieilles Vignes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, 2015

Grape type: 100% Grenache
Soil type: Clay and sand
Vineyard: 95-year-old bush vines planted, biodynamic, dry farmed
Winemaking: 12 months in neutral demi-muids (600l), and new and used French oak barriques
Production: NA
ABV: 14.5%
Approx retail price: $100

A rare example of a varietal Grenache from Châteauneuf-du-Pape hailing from a tiny plot of vines planted in 1942, the ‘Vieilles Vignes’ from Domaine de Cristia is an exciting find for any following of this grape.

Wonderfully expressive with aromas of crushed ripe red berries and liquorice, this wine then delivers a delicious combination of ripe fruit, white pepper, creamy oak and a fine tannic finish. It’s a wine that’s really persists, and while it’s drinking well now, it does seem youthful, and certainly has the potential to display more characters with further time in bottle.

Domaine de Marcoux, Vieilles Vignes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, 2015

Grape type: 98% Grenache, 2% Cinsault
Soil type: Clay and sand
Vineyard: 80-100-year-old bush vines planted, biodynamic, dry farmed (12hl/ha)
Winemaking: Fermented in concrete vats and then aged in concrete and neutral oak barrels for 16-18 months
Production: NA
ABV: 15.5%
Approx retail price: $170

Despite the seasoning with Cinsault, this is essentially another varietal Grenache from an ancient plot in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. And, like the Cristia, it is a scarce and brilliant example of this grape. But, unlike the former Grenache, this wine eschews the use of new oak, and shows fewer creamy notes, more pure bright fruit flavours, and slightly firmer tannins. Neither better nor worse than the Cristia, it is a slightly different take on great Grenache from historic vines in this famous part of France. It is a big and structured wine now, and would definitely benefit from further cellaring to release its full potential in another 5-8 years. For now, however, expect layers of orange and raspberry, lavender and cedar, and a long, fresh finale.

Yangarra, High Sands, McLaren Vale, Australia

Grape type: 100% Grenache
Soil type: Weathered sands
Vineyard: Bush vines planted in 1946, biodynamic, dry farmed. Employs fruit from six blocks of old Grenache, and Block 31 (1.7 Ha) at the top of the ridge has the deepest sand, the lowest vigour and yield. (15hl/ha)
Winemaking: 10-18 months in 1-2 year old French oak, 100% destemmed, 50% crushed
Production: 3200-3400 bottles
ABV: 14.5-8%
pH: 3.12-3.14
Approx retail price: $90

High Sands is the top wine from Yangarra Estate and hails from the producer’s highest point of its grey ancient sandy dunes in McLaren Vale’s celebrated sub-region of Blewitt Springs.

The bush vines were planted by Frederick Arthur Smart in 1946 when land grants were given to soldiers returning from World War II, and are managed today according to certified biodynamic farming methods by Yangarra winemaker Peter Fraser and his team.

Yields are incredibly low, with just 15hl/ha produced.

As for the winemaking techniques, High Sands is made using open fermenters, natural yeasts, and a careful regime of plunging, rack and returns, before the wine is drained into barrel and keep on its yeast lees for at least 12 months. It then is stored in barrel for 10-18 months, with only one year old French oak is used.

Having tasted the High Sands in a number of vintages from 2010 to 2014, it is clear that this is an extraordinary vineyard, producing wines with intense red fruit, some fleshy black cherry, and a fine-grained tannic structure, along with an almost stony sensation, and lingering freshness.

The red fruit, acidity and fine dry tannin give the Grenache a more Italianate feel than one might expect for an Australian wine, particularly one made from this grape in the McLaren Vale.

Meanwhile, the 2013 vintage in particular, displays a pleasing, slightly reductive, gunflint character, masking some of the red fruit, but adding a layer of smoky complexity.

The wines seem at their best around five to eight years after harvest.

Espectacle del Montsant, Montsant, Spain, 2013

Picture source: Wine Direct

Grape type: 100% Grenache
Soil type: Clay, chalk and sand
Vineyard: 120 year-old bush vines, dry farmed. Wine made by René Barbier, famous for Priorat’s Clos Mogador.
Winemaking: 16 months in 40hl French oak vats
Production: 5,000 bottles
ABV: 15%
Approx retail price: $120

Our next great varietal Grenache comes from Spain, but not to any of the traditional well-known regions for this grape (above all Navarra and Rioja), but the relatively new appellation of Montsant, which in fact surrounds the more famous Priorat.

And, it was due to one particular wine that we picked this place, a varietal Grenache called Espectacle from 120 year-old vines.

This wine is made by René Barbier, famous for Priorat’s Clos Mogador, and uses grapes from a high-altitude two-hectare plot, which is aged in a large oak vat following fermentation, as opposed to smaller French barriques.

Just 5,000 bottles are made each year and having tried both 2012 and 13 vintages, this is a Grenache with plenty of red and black ripe berry fruit on the nose, a touch of liquorice and cream, and a medium-weight feel; this isn’t a super concentrated wine, despite the age of the vines used in its production, and shows the Pinot-esque side of great Grenache.

Certainly delicious, layered and bright, although with a 15.5% abv, it does have a touch of alcohol heat on the finish.

Château Rayas, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 2008 (14%)

Grape type: 100% Grenache
Soil type: Clay and sand
Vineyard: 80 year-old bush vines (12hl/ha)
Winemaking: whole bunch pressed and fermented in concrete vats and then aged in neutral oak demi-muids and foundres for 16-18 months.
Production: NA cases
ABV: 14%
Approx retail price: £250

Château Rayas is one of those producers that does things differently. Unlike everyone else in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, who choose to blend grapes from among the fifteen allowed within the appellation, Rayas works almost solely with Grenache, and in doing so, produces what is the world’s most sought-after example from this grape.

The property uses very low yielding old bush vine Grenache to produce an intensely flavoured wine, which is matured, again unusually, in 450-litre oak casks.

Unlike the other wines in this line-up, our tasting note is based on an older vintage of this Grenache. As a result, the wine’s colour and nose showed some development, with a brick red rim and a lovely perfume combining pepper, grass clippings, and a hint of ripe strawberry. The palate similarly displayed a slightly vegetal aged grassy character with some red fruit, touch of cranberry freshness, and an intensely peppery sensation on the finish, along with a mouth-coating chalky tannin. Relatively light in mouthfeel, this would please the Burgundy lover as much as it would sate the sipper of reds from the southern Rhône.

Sine Qua Non Female, California, USA, 2013

Grape type: 78% Grenache, 19% Syrah, 3% Mouvedre
Soil type: Sand
Vineyard: Primarily sourced from ‘Eleven Confessions’ estate in Santa Rita Hills, planted in 2001
Winemaking: 24 months in a mix of demi-muids, 300-liter Hog Heads and barriques
Production: NA
ABV: 15.7%
Approx retail price: $330

Grenache tastings with Yangarra in the UK have included California examples before, notably those from Tablas Creek, which is the Paso Robles partnership of Château de Beaucastel and Robert Haas that focuses on Rhône grapes. Excellent as these are, for our US events we decided to go more upmarket and rarified, and serve ‘Female’ from Sine Qua Non, the Californian cult wine made with 78% Grenache by Manfred Krankl, who is a champion of Rhône grapes in the state.

The wine, which is hard to find and highly priced, was a source of excitement, even among those from the US wine trade, few of whom had tried it before. And it didn’t disappoint, with masses of rich dark cherry fruit, pepper, toast and tannin. It did appear quite tight at this stage in its development, and is clearly a wine built for the long haul. It was also a slight outlier, as the previous wines were either entirely made from Grenache, or at least, almost 100%. The Female, with 19% Syrah, did exhibit the strong characters of this grape, with an added layer of black olive and spice. 

Torbreck, Les Amis, Barossa, Australia, 2013

Grape type: 100% Grenache
Soil type: Clay and sand
Vineyard: bush vines planted in 1903
Winemaking: 100% destemmed into a single cement vat before being basket pressed directly into new French barriques where it ages for 18 months.
Production: 1,440 bottles
ABV: 16%
Approx retail price: $155

In each one of our masterclasses we finished the tasting with an example that is one of Australia’s most highly-awarded wines: Torbreck’s Les Amis.

Hailing from the Barossa’s western Seppeltsfield, Les Amis is made using grapes from dry-farmed bush vines planted in 1901, which are then pressed directly into new French barriques, where the wines age for 18 months.

The combination of low-yielding old vines, the Barossa climate, and an extended period in new French oak meant this was the most powerful wine of the flight, and hence it’s position as the last Grenache of the tasting.

It was certainly a big wine, with plenty of vanilla oak aromas on the nose, along with sweet ripe dark cherry fruit. The palate showed similar characters, along with soft strawberry, a touch of Rioja-like coconut, and plenty of firm tannin to complement the rich fruit. Generous, but with just enough freshness, this was a massive and balanced statement, although, like the Grenache from Montsant, the finish did feature a warming sensation from the high level of alcohol.

It is a big and oaky statement of a Grenache, but both impressive and delicious, and in each tasting, this wine seemed to vie with the Yangarra High Sands as the wine of the flight.

And finally… Garrus, Château d’Esclans, Provence, 2015

Grape type: Grenache with a small proportion of Vermentino
Soil type: Clay and chalk
Vineyard: 80 year-old vines, managed according to organic practices
Winemaking: 90% free-run juice is fermented in new and second-use demi-muids, before 10 months ageing in barriques, with battonage twice weekly.
Production: 1,500 cases
ABV: 14%
Approx retail price: $100

Ok, so our final Grenache isn’t a red wine, nor did it feature in the masterclasses in London, Hong Kong, New York or LA. However, if one is to list the world’s greatest wines made from this grape, then the barrel-fermented pink Garrus should get a mention, because it shows the heights attainable with the variety, even when made like a fine white Burgundy.

Garrus employs free-run juice from old vine Grenache that is then fermented in barrels to create a barely pink wine with plenty of peachy flavours and a smoky, toasty creamy character. The absence of skin maceration and the installation of strict temperature control in each barrel ensures that Garrus has a delicacy, with a light body, and smooth mouthfeel. This is an extraordinary wine that could be quaffed under the Provençal sun or sipped appreciatively with food. As we’ve said before, there is no more versatile rosé, nor more expensive still pink wine. But, for the purpose of this list, what’s important is that it’s made with Grenache.