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Mas Garnacha, Por Favor!

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Here’s is a follow up on Project Garnacha.  First, a quick summary of all the Grenaches I tasted and how they ranked.  In general, I preferred the pure Grenache over the blends.  Spanish Grenache also outperformed Australian in this tasting.  You’ll also notice that the most expensive bottle is at the bottom of the list as a bad bottle.  I didn’t provide a rating for it as the bottle had obviously gone bad.  I guess I got suckered on that one.

100% Grenache (all Spanish Wine)

Brand

Year

Price

Rating

Comments

Yasa

2003

9.99

92

Great wine.

Borsao

2005

7.99

89

Full flavor, nice acidity, a bit of a fruit bomb.

Garnacha de Fuego

2005

8.99

89

Good cherry flavors without being overly fruity.

ía Garnacha

2004

8.99

89

Probably the spiciest Grenache I have tasted.

Viña Borgia

2005

5.99

88

Nice wine for the price.

Figaro Tinto

2003

9.99

86

Good, drinkable wine but not exciting.

Viña Alarba Old Vines Grenache

2005

7.99

85

Drinkable, but boring.

Las Rocas

2003

10.00

85

Nice, crisp acidity.

Lelia

2004

6.99

84

Silky and smokey.

Tres Ojos

2004

8.99

82

Get ready to pucker, this one’s a bit sour.

Grenache Blends (Spanish except the last two are Austrailian Wine)

Brand

Year

Price

Rating

Comments

Abrazo

2002

7.99

91

This is a nice wine. Prominent black cherry flavor

Coto de Hayas

2005

6.99

88

Good berry overtones, but not too fruity.

Arcs Terra Alta

2004

8.99

88

A bit of black cherry and chocolate with a touch of pepper.

Ètim Selection Grenache

2001

8.99

84

Plum and cherry with soft tannins.

Queensland

2004

9.99

81

A bit bitter, not very fruity.

Tatachilla Grenache Shiraz

2000

12.00

N/A

Bad Bottle (oxidized).

What Others are Saying

I was curious what other bloggers had to say about my top picks for Grenache, so I did some exploring and it was rather interesting. 

Here is a video review I found of Michael Lam of the Beverage Review (whatever that is) tasting Abrazo.  He claims to be a professional taster.  He’s somewhat of a tool, but I like his assessment.  Except for the part about seaweed… I didn’t taste that and really don’t want to taste seaweed in my wine.  I also like the fact that he’s Asian and the audio doesn’t synch up with his lips… it’s like watching a kung fu theater wine tasting.  At least he’s not as obnoxious as Gary Vaynerchuk.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cItB6bXvdFA]

Chelsie’s Tasting Notes (a site with $5 and under ratings) had a different opinion about Abrazo.  She gave it a 2 out of 5.  That said, she was tasting the 2005 vintage, which could be very different.  And she found it for $3 which leads me to believe that the quality has declined.  I’ll have to do a follow up.

The 2003 Yasa Garnacha got a positive review but there wasn’t much out there on this one.  It is a from a small batch producer, so I guess most folks will just have to miss out.  Sorry.

Tim Lemke Tim is the founder and chief reviewer at Cheap Wine Ratings since 2007.

Comment(0)

  1. Many of these I purchased at locally owned wine shops in the Cincinnati area, so it won’t help unless you’re in the neighborhood. These include Cincinnati Wine Warehouse, Cork ‘n Bottle, Jungle Jims and The Wine Store. I’d encourage you to shop at your local shop and ask them to carry anything you’re interested in. Local shops are often open to requests.

    Non-local sources:

    Wild Oats

    – Viña Borgia
    – Borsao
    – Coto de Hayas

    World Market

    – Garnacha de Fuego
    – ía Garnacha
    – Arcs Terra Alta

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