All Hands on the Bush Vine

The third tasting of 2010 my friends here in the Vale and I organized was an international Grenache event held recently at Yangarra winery in Blewitt Springs. It was a good turnout with some new palettes at the table, which isn't surprising because Grenache is one of the most interesting varietals on the planet. Even though it accounts for less than 2% of plantings nationwide in Oz, it is a prolific and noble variety in other parts of the world. 

Grenache Noir ripens late, so needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in South Australia, Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. The vine's ability to tolerate dry conditions and heat making it ideal for Mediterranean type climates. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively high alcohol content, but it needs careful control of yields for best results. Yield control is intimately connected with the resulting quality of wine with yields below 35 hl/ha (2 tons/acre), such as those practiced by many Châteauneuf-du-Pape estates, producing very different wines than those with yields closer to 50 hl/ha (5 tons/acre) which is the base yield forAppellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) wines labeled under the Cotes du Rhone designation. Generally in the case of Cotes du Rhone AOC wines, Grenache tends to lack acid, tannin and color, and is usually blended with other varieties such as Syrah, Carignan, Mourvedre and Cinsaut to beef it up.

Grenache is the dominant variety in most Southern Rhone wines, especially in Chateauneuf-du-Pape where it is typically over 80% of the blend. In Australia it is typically blended in "GSM" blends with Syrah and Mourvedre. Grenache is also used to make rosé wines in France and Spain, notably those of the Tavel district in the Cotes du Rhone. And the high sugar levels of Grenache have led to extensive use in fortified wines, including the red vins doux naturels of Roussillon such as Banyuls, and as the basis of most Australian fortified wine.

The origins of the grape are under debate, but Sardinia, where it is known as Cannonau, seems to be a frontrunner. From there it logically spread to Spain and around the south of France. Grenache was one of the first varieties to be introduced to Australia in the 1832 collection by James Busby and eventually became the country's most widely planted red wine grape variety until it was surpassed by Shiraz in the mid 1960s.  Early Australian Grenache was a main component in the sweet fortified wines that was the lynchpin of the early Australian wine industry.

So there is still a fair bit of old, dry grown, bush vine material around McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley. The Vale has shown its dedication to the variety by the formulation of its 'Cadenzia' program. This is a regional showcase of the variety and wineries are encouraged to experiment with different styles to highlight Grenache from the region. Due to it's thick woody structure it can withstand strong winds. The vines were and still are trained into a bush shape, or known as "bush vine", no trellising necessary, with the canes extending swirled up from the ground much like Medusa's snakes in so many directions (see top photo).   The strong wood canopy of Grenache, however, makes the vine difficult to harvest with mechanical harvesters and pruning equipment and more labor intensive to cultivate. In highly mechanized wine regions, such as Australia and California, this has contributed to a decline in the vine's popularity.

The characteristic notes of Grenache are berry fruit such as raspberries and strawberries. When yields are kept in check, Grenache based wines can develop complex and intense notes of black currants, black cherries, black olives, coffee, gingerbread, honey, leather, black pepper, tar, spices and roasted nuts. When yields are increased, more overtly earthy and herbal notes emerge that tend to quickly fade on the palate. The very low yielding old vines of Priorat can impart dark black fruits and notes of figs and tar, for example, with many traits similar to the Italian wine Amarone.  Some winemakers believe, myself included, that Grenache should be fashioned as a hot climate's stylistic version of Pinot Noir, with the lighter color and tannins resulting in a lighter bodied, more elegant wine.

The tasting was held at Kendall Jackson's Australian wine estate Yangarra, which is now focusing exclusively on Rhone varietals, by sales manager Tom K. He did a good job organizing the wines into some illustrative brackets.  With the help of Steve Pannell, Duncan Wilcox(1990 Rayas!) and Gill Gordon-Smith, some strong/hard to find examples from France, Spain, Sardinia, and Australia were at hand.  Australia was broken up into the 2 major Grenache regions, Barossa and McLaren Vale. Wine writer Philip White was also present and provoked relevant discussions with Pannell concerning how to promote Aussie Grenache and how to keep up the high level of enthusiasm and quality.

Here are the wines we looked at on the day, the bold items were the first wine tasted in each bracket:

1. 1990 Chateau Rayas, Chateauneuf-du-Pape

2. 1990 Domaine Les Goubert "Cuvee Florence", Gigondas

3. 1998 Domaine Les Cailloux, Lucien et Andre Brunel, Chateauneuf

4. 1998 Hardy's Tintara, McLaren Vale

5. 2008 Greenock Creek, Barossa

6. 2002 Penfolds, Barossa

7. 2006 Torbreck "Les Amies", Barossa

8. 2006 Charles Melton "Richelieu", Barossa

9. 2006 D'Arenberg "the Derelict Vineyard", McLaren Vale

10. 2002 Clarendon Hills "old vine", Clarendon (McLaren Vale)

11. 2006 S.C. Pannell, McLaren Vale

12. 2006 Yangarra "High Sands", McLaren Vale

13. 2009 Domaine Gramenon "L'Elementaire", Cotes du Rhone

14. 2007 Domaine Gramenon "Ceps Centenaires La Meme", Cotes du Rhone

15. 2008 Domaine Gramenon "La Sagesse", Cotes du Rhone

16. 2007 Bosquet des Papes, Chateauneuf

17. 2008 Palacios Remondo "La Vendimia", Rioja

18. 2007 Pegaso "Granito", Castilla Y Leon

19. 2008 Artazuri, Navarra

20. 2006 Mas 'en Compete, Priorat

21. 2004 Killakanoon "the Duke", Clare Valley

22. 2005 Contini Riserva "Inu", Cannonau di Sardegna

23. 2009 Jasper Hill, Heathcote

24. 2006 Clos Clare "The Hayes Boy", Clare Valley

The results were all over the place, with the Australian wines being a bit fruitier than their European brethren, but the overall consensus was that we need to come up with some common terms to describe the style we make in the Vale. The Sardinian wine was fascinating to me, all witchhazel, sea salt and hawthorn. The Gramenon line up was also noteworthy, some, like the "L'Elementaire", were quite raw and almost unfinished, while others had powerful earthy elements from the natural way the wines are made. These are imported wines that are popular amongst Aussie sommeliers currently. And then there was the 100% grenache based 1990 Rayas, which was like Faye Dunaway's Evelyn Mulwray in "Chinatown", fragile and inscrutable, but drop dead gorgeous.
What Grenache should taste like is still and will probably always be a matter of opinion. My feeling is that it needs to be kept lighter in style to provide us with something less intense to drink from a warm area like SA, and it's gorgeous as a rosé, as well. I also think it is just amazing with Mourvedre, no more than 30%, and that the 2 grapes help each other out in a way that is mutually beneficial to all concerned.

Comments

[Belstaff Coats]

thanks for your article,like your blog very much,well done