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The best Grenaches from the Global Wine Masters 2021

07 February 2022 By Patrick Schmitt

Following last year’s Global Grenache Masters, I’ve picked out 16 top-scoring bottles taking in remarkable wines from Provence to Priorat.

All the samples that feature below were tasted blind in the 2021 Grenache-only competition – although blends were allowed as long as Grenache was the dominant grape – and each one gained a Gold medal or the title of Master for those wines deemed truly outstanding.

Please click here to see all the medallists from the tasting, as well as to find out more about the competition, while scroll down to read about some of the finest Grenaches on the market today, including a pair of relatively inexpensive options from Spain, and a couple of delicious rosés too.

Although Grenache originates from Spain, where it’s called Garnacha, for this report, in line with the title of the competition, we have used its French synonym throughout.

DOMAINE ROYAL DE JARRAS, GRIS DE GRIS, 2020

Winery: Domaine Royal de Jarras, Vranken-Pommery Monopole
Country: France
Region: Languedoc-Roussillon
Blend: Grenache 100%
Vintage: 2020
ABV: 13%
Retail Price: £15
Medal: Gold

Using old vine Grenache planted in the sands of Southern France’s Camargue is this wonderful gris – or very pale pink wine from Domaine Royal de Jarras. It’s a great-value alternative to the increasingly pricy options from Provence, while also offering something a bit different, as it’s a rosé with more texture and richness than you commonly find in Provence, perhaps due to the low yields from the infertile soils of the Camargue, exacerbated by the age of the vines at this property, and organic management. In terms of flavours, this is a rosé loaded with white fruits, rather than red, featuring notes of ripe pear and peach, with an oily mouthfeel, and a salty, slightly chalky finish.

SCALA DEI, PLA DELS ÀNGELS, 2020

Winery: Scala Dei
Country: Spain
Region: Priorat
Blend: Grenache 100%
Vintage: 2020
ABV: 14.5%
Retail Price: £26
Medal: Gold

If you’re looking to branch out into the increasingly diverse top-end pink wine scene, then this pure Grenache from Priorat is a fantastic place to end up. Using grapes from old vines at this fine Spanish region’s oldest property – Scala Dei – it’s an intense rosé, with masses of wild strawberry richness, along with additional complementary characters such as white pepper, chalk, and then a finish featuring redcurrants and lime zest, as well as a touch of fine, mouth-coating tannin to dry the palate. Definitely a rosé not just to refresh with before a meal, but also to enjoy with food.

LAS MARGAS, 2019

Winery: Axial Vinos
Country: Spain
Region: Aragón
Blend: Grenache 100%
Vintage: 2019
ABV: 15%
Retail Price: £12.90
Medal: Gold

Proof of Grenache’s ability to deliver fantastic, juicy, fruity, and finely structured reds at relatively low prices is this wine from Las Margas in what is believed to be the native home of the grape: Aragón. For not much more than £10 you get a glass of cherry jam and cranberry, mixed with vanilla essence, and then, in terms of texture, something not too heavy, but generous and mouth-filling, and surprisingly refreshing – despite the high ABV – due to the presence of fine, firm, dry, chalky tannin.

TRES PICOS

Winery: Bodegas Borsao
Country: Spain
Region: Campo de Borja
Blend: Grenache 100%
Vintage: 2019
ABV: 14.5%
Retail Price: £15.95
Medal: Gold

Hailing from Spain’s Campo de Borja – which calls itself ‘the empire of Garnacha’ – is this delicious sub-£20 red from the reliably good-value Bodegas Borsao. Called Tres Picos, it’s made from old vine Grenache grown at more than 600m above sea level, which is briefly aged in French oak. The wine is rich, with a raisined edge, comprising dominant fruit flavours of dark cherry, wild strawberry and ripe plums, combined with notes of vanilla cream followed by a warming alcoholic sensation and then a dry, finely tannic finish. It’s a powerful wine, but not unbalanced, and provides a lot of personality for a relatively small outlay.

THE BEE-SIDE, 2019

Winery: Domaine of the Bee
Country: France
Region: Roussillon
Blend: Grenache 100%
Vintage: 2019
ABV: 14.5%
Retail Price: £19.50
Medal: Gold

This year’s Grenache Masters featured a raft of fantastic, beautifully balanced and exciting wines from Domaine of the Bee in Roussillon, but I was particularly excited by this one because it offers so much wine for under £20. Its nose is typically, pleasingly Grenache, with ripe strawberry and white pepper dominating its youthful, bright aromatics. As for the palate, there’s more red berry fruit and spice, but also some subtle vanilla, a touch of cherry jam, dried herbs, fine dry tannins, and then a cranberry-like bite to the finish, making it hard not to sip quickly. Indeed, despite the juicy berry fruit, the wine has a Pinot-like delicacy that makes it a wonderful option when seeking out a lighter style of red.

JARAMAN GRENACHE, 2020

Winery: Wakefield / Taylors Wines
Country: Australia
Region: McLaren Vale
Blend: Grenache 100%
Vintage: 2020
ABV: 14.5%
Retail Price: £20 approx. (but not available in UK)
Medal: Gold

This year’s Grenache Masters featured some outstanding samples from the Barossa’s Schild Estate, but, for its value, and fruit purity, I was taken by this red from McLaren Vale, made by Wakefield/Taylors Wines. The Jaraman Grenache is almost translucent in appearance, and the wine’s mouthfeel is certainly light. It has soft cherry and raspberry fruit, then milk chocolate notes from the American oak used to briefly mature the wine, before the wine starts to slowly fade, revealing notes of white pepper too, and some fine, gently grippy tannins.

VIÑA POMAL, VINOS SINGULARES GARNACHA, 2017

Winery: Bodegas Bilbaínas
Country: Spain
Region: Rioja
Blend: Grenache 100%
Vintage: 2017
ABV: 14.5%
Retail Price: £39.50
Medal: Gold

Hailing from the source of wonderfully balanced and beautifully crafted reserva and gran reserva Riojas, Viña Pomal, comes this Grenache with no age statement. Part of the producer’s collection of single-varietal wines, this is made with a special plot of old vines at 600m above sea level, which deliver an intense style of red, with concentration and freshness. It’s a wine that gradually unfolds on the palate, and benefits from swilling and even decanting, with a taut structure, featuring intense red berry fruit and plenty of dense, fine, dry tannins. As for flavours, it’s loaded with baked cherry and ripe plum, blackberry, cedar and liquorice, as well as some vanilla and a stoney note, like rock dust. A delicious, persistent, and distinctive addition to the world of varietal Grenaches.

OLD & SURVIVOR VINE GRENACHE

Winery: Schild Estate Wines
Country: Australia
Region: Barossa Valley
Blend: Grenache 100%
Vintage: 2019
ABV: 14.5%
Retail Price: £29.95
Medal: Gold

Using Grenache from old and survivor vines – classed as those over 30 and 70 years respectively – is this brilliant drop from the Barossa’s Schild Estate. Crammed with ripe red berry fruit, from cherry to strawberry, with a touch of vanilla and dried mint, and some dark chocolate too, it’s a delicious, indulgent and complex wine, that’s made especially drinkable due to its medium-weight feel and lively, dry, finely-tannic finish.

EDGAR SCHILD OLD BUSH VINE GRENACHE

Winery: Schild Estate Wines
Medal: Gold
Country: Australia
Region: Barossa Valley
Blend: Grenache 100%
Vintage: 2019
ABV: 14.5%
Retail Price: £29.95

This remarkable Grenache comes from some of the oldest vines in the world, with the planting believed to be more than 165 years old – testament to the potential for this variety to live for unusually long periods due to its natural resistance to wood diseases. The wine produced from this ancient Barossa vineyard is, as one might imagine, rich in flavour, although not heavy in style, with notes of red berry and cherry, pepper and plum, along with a touch of menthol, dark chocolate and cedar. As the layers of complementary flavours slowly subside, the ripe, soft fruit gives way to dense, fine, tannins that coat the mouth and dry the palate, readying one for another glass.

HUTTON VALE FARM

Winery: Hutton Vale Farm
Country: Australia
Region: Eden Valley
Blend: Grenache 88%, Mataro 12%
Vintage: 2017
ABV: 14.5%
Retail Price: Approx £35 (but 2017 not currently sold in the UK)
Medal: Gold

A wonderful find from Eden Valley’s Hutton Vale, this red sees 60 year-old Grenache blended with a touch of Mataro – a common partner for the grape in southern France or Spain, where it’s called Mouvèdre or Monastrell respectively. Hutton Vale’s Mataro hails from the same site as the Grenache, with the former grape used to fill in the gaps where the Grenache failed to thrive. The result is a wine loaded with cherry and raspberry fruit, with a touch of prune and liquorice too, then some sweet balsamic, along with chocolate, cedar, menthol and pepper. As for the structure, this is a fleshy, medium-weight red, with a dry finish, featuring plenty of mouth-coating tannins to help refresh the palate.

SCALA DEI, MASDEU, 2016

Winery: Scala Dei
Country: Spain
Region: Priorat
Blend: Grenache 100%
Vintage: 2016
ABV: 15%
Retail Price: £75
Medal: Gold

As well as the single vineyard Sant Antoni (see below), Priorat’s Scala Dei makes Masdeu. This latter expression comes from an even higher vineyard that Sant Antoni – 800m compared to 600m – and similarly uses very old bush vine Grenache to yield a wine of intensity and freshness from this remarkable part of Spain. Both bottlings are also produced without the influence of barriques, using concrete and foudres for the fermentation and ageing respectively. The result in the case of Masdeu, which hails from the 2016 harvest, is a wine of intensity and finesse, dominated by fruit characters that are just starting to mature. There’s some stewed cherry and strawberry, and a touch of plum, followed by a lingering peppery taste, along with notes of cigar box and liquorice, framed by firm, fine tannin to ensure the finish is dry and refreshing.

SCALA DEI, SANT ANTONI, 2017

Winery: Scala Dei
Country: Spain
Region: Priorat
Blend: Grenache 100%
Vintage: 2017
ABV: 14.5%
Retail Price: £72
Medal: Master

If you’re sceptical about the fine wine potential of varietal Grenache, then try the single vineyard bottlings from Scala Dei, particularly the Sant Antoni, name in honour of the Carthusian monks who worked vines and made wine here five centuries ago. For this expression, the grapes hail from a near 80 year-old vineyard at 600m above sea level, which are used to make a wine without the influence of barriques or new oak – fermentation takes place in concrete tanks and ageing in large old oak casks, or foudres. The result is a wine rich in flavour but free from the sweetness that can come from barrels, ensuring the flavours and aromatics are dominated by ripe red berry fruit and pepper spice in a wine that’s has the complexity and lift of fine Pinot, albeit with a bit more tannic grip. Along with raspberry and cherry there are notes of cedar and liquorice, along with crushed rocks, making for a complex, medium-weight red that would pair wonderfully with pork.

DOMAINE BEAUVENCE, L’APARTÉ, 2019

Winery: Domaine Beauvence
Country: France
Region: Provence
Blend: Grenache 55%, Syrah 45%
Vintage: 2019
ABV: 13.5%
Retail Price: €27 (from producer’s shop in France)
Medal: Master

Using Grenache – along with some Syrah – from the rocky, organically farmed vineyards of Provence’s Domaine Beauvence comes this Master-winner. A powerful wine in its youth, it’s intense and dense, with a weighty mid-palate, and plenty of sandy-textured tannins, giving it a dry and mineral edge. It’s complex too, with red and dark berry fruit mingling with notes of dried herbs, cigar box, and vanilla, along with black cherry and chocolate, making for an indulgent drop with layers of flavour, and a mouth-watering finish.

RES FORTES, THE BRAVE, 2017

Winery: Res Fortes Wines
Country: France
Region: Roussillon
Blend: Grenache 100%
Vintage: 2017
ABV: 14.5%
Retail Price: £90 per bottle, and £180 for a magnum
Medal: Gold

If you want a taste of old-vine Grenache at its best, then The Brave should be on your bucket list. Made by Moritz Bak of Res Fortes winery using 120-year-old vines from his highest and steepest north-facing vineyards in Maury, it is an intensely-flavoured, warming, and refreshing red, that has both a delicate edge and a strong personality. This 2017 vintage is starting to show a touch of development, with a hint of balsamic, but it’s dominated by fleshy, ripe, dark cherries and plums, raspberry and wild strawberry, then cracked black pepper, cedar and chocolate.

LES GENOUX

Winery: Domaine of the Bee
Country: France
Region: Roussillon
Blend: Grenache 70%, Carignan 15%, Grenache Gris 10%, Grenache Blanc 5%
Vintage: 2019
ABV: 13.5%
Retail Price: £36
Medal: Master

If you love Grenache, or indeed fine ripe reds with a light touch, then here is a red that has to be tried. For a little under £40 – a fair price compared to top Châteauneuf-du-Pape – is this fascinating blend from Domaine of the Bee in Roussillon. Called Les Genoux, it comprises Grenache in all its colours from the property’s Coume de Roy vineyard – which is more than 100 years old – to produce something juicy, layered, and refreshingly light and bright. As for the flavours, it’s a mass of ripe red berries, from crushed strawberry to cherry and raspberry, complemented by characters of plum and prune, a touch of dried herbs, white pepper, crushed stone, and then some vanilla and cedar too. The finish, with its dry fine chalky-textured tannins and fresh acidity, makes you salivate, ensuring that the wine, despite the fleshy fruit, is surprisingly easy to drink.

CHÊNE BLEU, ABÉLARD, 2012

Winery: Chêne Bleu
Country: France
Region: Rhône
Blend: Grenache 85%, Syrah 15%
Vintage: 2012
ABV: 14%
Retail Price: £65
Medal: Gold

Just starting to mature is this outstanding Grenache-Syrah blend from the brilliant biodynamic estate that is Chêne Bleu. Located high in the hills of Provence’s Vaucluse, the vines here are probably best known for producing fine, intensely flavoured and refreshing Grenache-based rosés, but the property is also the source of concentrated and complex reds like this one, from the 2012 vintage. While there are some notes of stewed fruit on the nose and palate, there’s still plenty of intense red and dark berry flavours. The palate is dominated by black cherry, plums and ripe raspberry, with a touch of clove, dried flowers, then cedar, chocolate and pepper, before the wine’s characters slowly fade, leaving a dry, finely-tannic finish. A fantastic example of more mature Grenache, even if this drop still has plenty of life left in it.

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