The pale garnet-purple colored 2015 Grenache Noir Mounts Vineyard offers a fairly earthy nose of mossy bark, tilled soil and garrigue over a core of kirsch, baked raspberries, dried herbs and white pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers great restraint with delicate savory flavors and a chewy frame, finishing with
lingering earth and herbs notions. 346 cases produced. – Wine Advocate
The medium body and wonderful aromatics make the Grenache a perfect wine for food or enjoying on its own. A great vintage and with a terroir that contributes structure combine here to produce a wine with depth and richness. The 2015 exhibits classic Grenache aromas of fresh and dried wild strawberries, ripe blue berries, and raspberries that are accented by baking spices and a floral lavender underpinning. A creamy, full mid-palate and firm yet soft tannins bring it home. And there’s a subtle herbal undertone, the result of the 100% whole cluster fermentation we use. Drink over the next 3 to 5 years.
Vineyard and Winemaker’s notes
The excellent fruit for this wine comes off of the Mounts Family Vineyard. The Mounts family has been farming this patch of dirt for over 60 years and when Dave Mounts took over from his father, he planted part of the vineyard to Rhone varietals. The vineyard itself lies on the western slopes over looking the heart of the Dry Creek Valley and the two French Entav clones I purchase for this wine (clone 513 and clone 362) both come from the Vaucluse region of the Rhone valley, home to Chateauneuf Du Papa, Gigondas, and Vacquyras. The soil is a mixture of red clay and river stone that immediately reminded me of the soils you see in those same regions of France that are home to some of the best Grenache’s on the planet and that’s why I make this wine.
2015 was an outstanding vintage statewide with moderate conditions throughout the growing season. During the summer, we had an abundance of warm weather that, each night, was tempered by coastal fog and breezes. This daily cyclical temperature swing helped ripen the fruit slowly and evenly. The fruit was ripe and concentrated due to the warm early fall weather, and the crop load was a bit lower too providing great fruit maturity and balanced acids.
The fruit was picked the night of September 16th and arrived at the winery bright and early where it was hand sorted and fermented separately with each clone getting a different fermentation regime. Both were 100% whole cluster and cold soaked at 45° for 5 days to allow for color extraction. It was then allowed to warm as native yeast fermentation started. When primary fermentation was complete I softly pressed the wine, keeping the pressed wine separate from the free run. The free run was then moved into once used French oak barrels where it rested undisturbed, not fined, raked, or filtered for 9 months before it was bottled.
Specifications
Vintage: 2015
Gold Medal 2019 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Blend: 100% Grenache
Barrel Regime: Neutral French oak, 9 months in barrel, Never racked
This story is not so much about wine, it’s more about life and the lessons we’re taught by the people we encounter through it. I was lucky enough to know a man who in my eyes was the epitome of how to live life; love and smile.
His name was Cliff Graybehl and he was my grandfather. His signature adorns every bottle I make as we also share initials. Cliff grew up in Santa Monica, on the beach, on the pier, in the water. He was a water-man through and through. My cousins and I all have very fond memories of summers with grandpa, learning to body surf, swinging on the rings and playing in the sand in Santa Monica and Muscle Beach. He taught us all to swim, he taught how to play gin, shuffle board, and golf. But more importantly he taught us how to live. He taught us all about kindness, laughter, and unconditional love.
So I make these wines in his honor, even though Cliff was never much of a wine drinker. But as my career path has lead me down the wine trail and not the vodka gimlet route, his drink of choice, I think he would approve. He would approve of anything that brings a little more joy to that special occasion or even just an old regular type occasion.
Now my story and the back ground as to why I love Grenache and make Grenache and Grenache Blanc is a story for another time. It involves wines and wineries and what seems like a lifetime of making other peoples wines and working in other people’s cellars. Now I make what I love. The details, the nitty-gritty, the “I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids”, well maybe I’ll tell you it someday, or if you see me and have a few hours, I will explain. But to me it is of little importance. What’s important are the wines, the place and trying to remember all those stupid jokes that my grandfather told. Lucky for me, he only had a few and he told those few often.
We have a singular focus. A focus on the wine grape varietals Grenache Noir and Grenache Blanc. Which allows us to hone in on the subtleties and nuances of the vareital we love so much. We’re passionate about Grenache and through the years we’ve adjusted and learned and adjusted and learned and we think every vintage we get a little closer. Closer to what you ask? To Grenache’s true expression. And although we love and honor the wonderful wines of Southern Provence, where in our minds, Grenache reigns supreme, we make Californian wines. We are happy to see more and more Greanche and Grenache based wines on the shelf but we are unique in that this is all we do. We are Grenache activists and Noir rebels. And it’s literally in the definition of “Grenachista” to believe in the underdog. So here we are. I’m glad you found us.
We make very small quantities of our wines. It helps make sure that we can pay full attention to all that goes into them.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
CR Graybehl Dry Creek Valley Grenache
4 bottles for $69.99 $17.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $174.99 $14.58/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2015 CR Graybehl Dry Creek Valley Grenache - $35 = 16.66%
2015 CR Graybehl Grenache LOOK: Pretty, semi-translucent magenta color. Good clarity. Closely spaced slow-running legs when swirled.
SMELL: Strawberry preserves, cassis, violets and a dash of wet straw. Possibly some brett? Enticing aroma, I keep sticking my nose in the glass…
TASTE: Very similar to the nose, with the addition of a little white pepper spiciness and minus the violets. The
strawberry is less jammy on the palate than on the nose. Slightly tart on PnP but quickly rounded into form in the glass. Not super complex but it is super tasty. Oak is well integrated and the tannins are medium while the
finish is medium+.
I tried pairing it with some Beehive Red Butte Hatch Chili cheese and it was an excellent match. The chiles
and spice rub of the cheese brought out more of the white pepper notes in the wine. As with most good pairings the wine made the cheese more enjoyable and vice versa.
SUMMARY: This is a delicious, well-balanced wine. I don’t have a whole lot of experience with Grenache as a
single varietal (although I do love a good GSM) but most of what I have had was, like this, from CA. I have found
two distinct flavor profiles in the ones I have tried. Fruit-forward strawberry-centric vs. Earthy, spicy, smoke
bombs. This is definitely the former and falls right into my wheelhouse. Not sweet by any means but the
strawberry notes do lead the way. Along with the cassis, white pepper, slight funk, oak treatment and tannic
structure, it all comes together synergistically to create some great juice!
@ScottW58
Thanks, funny you should chime in as the flavor profile of this wine reminds me of the Broc Cellars Dry Stack Grenache that your comments convinced me to buy years ago on wine.woot!
@losthighwayz
Definitely not flabby although I suppose it could become so over time. The pH doesn’t really seem that high to me although combined with the TA I can see some cause for concern, at least in regards to long-term aging potential. The winemaker suggests a 3-5 year drinking window and that sounds about right.
@chipgreen
Damm I’m getting old, Broc was on Woot? I don’t remember that but I do remember the wine! That’s some high praise for this bottle. Thanks Chip!
@ScottW58
Yes, I wish we could get a Broc offer on Casemates. I don’t remember what made me look them up a couple months ago but they have a really interesting lineup of wines. I seriously considered signing up for their wine club.
Dang! Grenache is one of my fave varietals. I like to think if it as a bridge between pinot noir and zinfandel. Plus neutral oak from a boutique winery in Dry Creek? Wth how am I supposed to pass this up
So I understand very limited production on this wine, but out of curiosity why the discrepancy where the tasting notes state 346 cases produced but the specifications say 162 Cases? (Maybe 162 cases left for the casemates sale?)
@CorTot@losthighwayz@merrybill I’m VMP and can buy if needed. I’d probably opt for 2 if anybody wants 4, but I guess we can handle a third. We are way overflowing still and consumption is dramatically reduced of late.
@CorTot@klezman@losthighwayz I was hoping Lost would get it; he was the most excited at the beginning (he might even take a 4th bottle). I think he’s a VMP, but I’m not sure.
Bottle arrived Tuesday night followed by the e-mail about an hour later to expect the bottle. A fellow lab member accepted the package and told me I had to share. So why not this will be a mixed review from 4 people. We let the bottle settle over night and let it chill the following day to about 57 degrees.
The color is a dark plum red, clear and bright. First impression after pulling the cork was a smell of medium acid, strong alcohol and very little fruitiness. First taste was still acidic, alcohol, bitter, and strong tannins. Any fruit was muted but leaned to the plum and amarena cherry.
Maybe putting a slight chill on this wine upset it so we let the bottle and our glasses relax over the next hour. As it warmed the alcohol smell and taste diminished, but the acidity was still present. The plum and cherry came out more along with a light peppery spice. The tannins are still strong for me and there is a rocky, earthy, leather taste.
We saved about a third of the bottle to sip on Thursday night. I still find this a very acidic wine. The alcohol has mellowed dramatically we get a tart pomegranate and still moderate tannins and leather. There are also more floral notes. I liken it to dried wild flowers and their greens.
Looking back at my consumption I only come across 4 other Grenache or Rhone bottles. I know I have had more but clearly didn’t make any notes.
One was a 2013 Ricitos de Oro Navarra Blach Garnacha & White Garnacha which I did not like. A 2015 Bruno Lafon Cotes Du Rhone which i did enjoy, and a 2014 Clos d’Alzan Cotes du Rhone Villages Sinargues again which I enjoyed. Maybe the blends I have tried before are more to my taste this is a pass for me.
HI everybody!
Casey here, owner/winemaker for C R Graybehl wines.
Out of all the vineyard designate Grenache’s we make, this is always my favorite. The clonal selection and the site are very well suited to produce wines that remind me of the wonderful wines of Gigondas. Which is about 15 miles from Chateauneuf-Du-Pape. Not quite as powerful (and ripe) as CdP but elegant and rich.
With this 2015 vintage, we began our experiment, specifically with this lot, into whole cluster fermentation. With 50% of the clusters not desteemed and the other 50% destemmed over the top. I find that it imparts the great white pepper and cedar box notes that I find in French Grenaches. As well as helping fight astringency which can be pronounced in this varietal. I liked the results so much, that after this vintage we now do all of our lots with at least some whole cluster if not 100%.
This wine was then aged in 50% once used French oak, the other half being neutral French. So there is some light oak on the wine, but it’s more structural in nature.
And I’ll add a funny/interesting thing here about my winemaking for Grenache. For the first few vintages in this project, I treated all of our Grenache’s like Pinot. Long cold soaks, gentle cap manipulations, separating out the press fractions and then barrel aging with no rackings and no air contact. There is much discussion and thought that Grenache, as does Pinot, is very susceptible to oxidation. But after the wines were bottled, it would take several years for them to open up again.
This is one of those wines.
I personally feel it is just now coming back to where it was pre-bottling and shining again. So although it will only get better over the next couple of years, I think it’s tasting great, right now!
I really like this wine and I hope you will too.
And I’m happy to answer any questions, comments, gripes, accolades, or bad jokes you care to pass on.
@The_Grenachista
Welcome to Casemates! Thank you for the offer and your participation. I am absolutely loving this wine! Not that it makes any real difference but I am curious about the question asked by @nklb as to the number of cases produced.
My only other question is… why haven’t I been drinking more Grenache?
@chipgreen@nklb Glad to be here and to share.
The case production dependency is an unforced error on my part. In actuality, we made 162 cases of the wine. When writing the tech-sheet, I mistakenly doubled up that number and then never corrected it. I really need to have my wife read over these things before I release them! But it happens when you’re a two person company, our “marketing department” misses the copy errors.
And I agree, we all need more Grenache in our lives!
As Manfred Krankl famously said, “Grenache delivers what Pinot promises”.
Not that I don’t love a good Pinot, but you’all know that there’s really no such thing anymore as a Pinot that is both good, and affordable.
But Grenache…
@chipgreen@The_Grenachista
This is all @chipgreen’s fault. I had initially not planned to purchase this, but his Day 2 Review (below) persuaded me. Four bottles on the way.
While I’m thinking about it, any suggestions for a drinking window?
@chipgreen@Shrdlu I feel like this wine is just starting to open up. I recently opened a 2013 from the same vineyard and it was tasting like an aged CdP, in a good way. So short story long, if I was you, I’d drink over the next three years, but these babies can and do age well.
@losthighwayz hey there. We rebranded for the 2016 vintage. Hence why I’m here and you’re getting this awesome deal. It’s hard to carry your old brand when you’re trying to change to the new.
And I do love our new brand work.
And Grenache Noir. It’s really about marketing. Although the true name of the Grenache varietal is Grenache Noir, us lazy Americans and Australians (at least with language) dropped the Noir part. Grenache Noir is recognized by the federal TTB. So I figured I’d go to that as the varietal name. Classy huh. I also thought it might trap a Pinot Noir drinker in our web. It’s working so far. And I think we might be the first in a long time to use it. But after all Noir just means black in French.
Half bottle left, vacu-vin’d overnight. Poured a glass and took a sniffy-sniff. Again, the strawberry is front and center. Maybe even more prevalent than last night as the cassis and floral notes are less noticeable. The “dash of wet straw” now seems more herbal than funky. Sage is what comes to mind. Looking for alcohol in the nose this time and I can detect it but it is very faint. Like last night, I find the nose to be very pleasant.
Sipping on the wine, it tastes pretty much identical to last night. I am noticing a somewhat juicy mouthfeel that I always enjoy. Funny how a wine can be both juicy and tannic. I agree with the
firm yet soft tannins
comment from the second paragraph of the tasting notes at the top of the page. In fact, I agree with pretty much the entire paragraph except for the blueberries. Pasted below;
The medium body and wonderful aromatics make the Grenache a perfect wine for food or enjoying on its own. A great vintage and with a terroir that contributes structure combine here to produce a wine with depth and richness. The 2015 exhibits classic Grenache aromas of fresh and dried wild strawberries, ripe blue berries, and raspberries that are accented by baking spices and a floral lavender underpinning. A creamy, full mid-palate and firm yet soft tannins bring it home. And there’s a subtle herbal undertone, the result of the 100% whole cluster fermentation we use. Drink over the next 3 to 5 years.
I will not be sad if there are no takers on my offer to share the case I bought last night!
OK, so I have a few Candy Basket dark chocolate salted caramels here and I tried one with the wine. A good pairing for sure, but not quite as good as with the Beehive cheese from last night. Interestingly, the combination brought out some light earthy notes in the wine that were not noticeable before. Like loam or topsoil.
I also have some artisan peanut butter cups from Waggoner Chocolates, a local chocolatier from Canton, OH. I bought some Easter gifts for friends and family and couldn’t resist getting a little something for moi as well.
Wow! Just fantastic! Looks like this is a “cheat day”…
@chipgreen@pjmartin Ahh. He tempts us with the “great juice” report and then makes it even more tempting by talking chocolate and then revokes the share offer. So, depending, or if there’s enough NE OH interest for a second case, I’m in the willing category. Totally optional, however.
Tasting Notes
The pale garnet-purple colored 2015 Grenache Noir Mounts Vineyard offers a fairly earthy nose of mossy bark, tilled soil and garrigue over a core of kirsch, baked raspberries, dried herbs and white pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers great restraint with delicate savory flavors and a chewy frame, finishing with
lingering earth and herbs notions. 346 cases produced. – Wine Advocate
The medium body and wonderful aromatics make the Grenache a perfect wine for food or enjoying on its own. A great vintage and with a terroir that contributes structure combine here to produce a wine with depth and richness. The 2015 exhibits classic Grenache aromas of fresh and dried wild strawberries, ripe blue berries, and raspberries that are accented by baking spices and a floral lavender underpinning. A creamy, full mid-palate and firm yet soft tannins bring it home. And there’s a subtle herbal undertone, the result of the 100% whole cluster fermentation we use. Drink over the next 3 to 5 years.
Vineyard and Winemaker’s notes
The excellent fruit for this wine comes off of the Mounts Family Vineyard. The Mounts family has been farming this patch of dirt for over 60 years and when Dave Mounts took over from his father, he planted part of the vineyard to Rhone varietals. The vineyard itself lies on the western slopes over looking the heart of the Dry Creek Valley and the two French Entav clones I purchase for this wine (clone 513 and clone 362) both come from the Vaucluse region of the Rhone valley, home to Chateauneuf Du Papa, Gigondas, and Vacquyras. The soil is a mixture of red clay and river stone that immediately reminded me of the soils you see in those same regions of France that are home to some of the best Grenache’s on the planet and that’s why I make this wine.
2015 was an outstanding vintage statewide with moderate conditions throughout the growing season. During the summer, we had an abundance of warm weather that, each night, was tempered by coastal fog and breezes. This daily cyclical temperature swing helped ripen the fruit slowly and evenly. The fruit was ripe and concentrated due to the warm early fall weather, and the crop load was a bit lower too providing great fruit maturity and balanced acids.
The fruit was picked the night of September 16th and arrived at the winery bright and early where it was hand sorted and fermented separately with each clone getting a different fermentation regime. Both were 100% whole cluster and cold soaked at 45° for 5 days to allow for color extraction. It was then allowed to warm as native yeast fermentation started. When primary fermentation was complete I softly pressed the wine, keeping the pressed wine separate from the free run. The free run was then moved into once used French oak barrels where it rested undisturbed, not fined, raked, or filtered for 9 months before it was bottled.
Specifications
Price Comparison
$468.69/case (including shipping) at CR Graybehl Wine Company
About The Winery
This story is not so much about wine, it’s more about life and the lessons we’re taught by the people we encounter through it. I was lucky enough to know a man who in my eyes was the epitome of how to live life; love and smile.
His name was Cliff Graybehl and he was my grandfather. His signature adorns every bottle I make as we also share initials. Cliff grew up in Santa Monica, on the beach, on the pier, in the water. He was a water-man through and through. My cousins and I all have very fond memories of summers with grandpa, learning to body surf, swinging on the rings and playing in the sand in Santa Monica and Muscle Beach. He taught us all to swim, he taught how to play gin, shuffle board, and golf. But more importantly he taught us how to live. He taught us all about kindness, laughter, and unconditional love.
So I make these wines in his honor, even though Cliff was never much of a wine drinker. But as my career path has lead me down the wine trail and not the vodka gimlet route, his drink of choice, I think he would approve. He would approve of anything that brings a little more joy to that special occasion or even just an old regular type occasion.
Now my story and the back ground as to why I love Grenache and make Grenache and Grenache Blanc is a story for another time. It involves wines and wineries and what seems like a lifetime of making other peoples wines and working in other people’s cellars. Now I make what I love. The details, the nitty-gritty, the “I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids”, well maybe I’ll tell you it someday, or if you see me and have a few hours, I will explain. But to me it is of little importance. What’s important are the wines, the place and trying to remember all those stupid jokes that my grandfather told. Lucky for me, he only had a few and he told those few often.
We have a singular focus. A focus on the wine grape varietals Grenache Noir and Grenache Blanc. Which allows us to hone in on the subtleties and nuances of the vareital we love so much. We’re passionate about Grenache and through the years we’ve adjusted and learned and adjusted and learned and we think every vintage we get a little closer. Closer to what you ask? To Grenache’s true expression. And although we love and honor the wonderful wines of Southern Provence, where in our minds, Grenache reigns supreme, we make Californian wines. We are happy to see more and more Greanche and Grenache based wines on the shelf but we are unique in that this is all we do. We are Grenache activists and Noir rebels. And it’s literally in the definition of “Grenachista” to believe in the underdog. So here we are. I’m glad you found us.
We make very small quantities of our wines. It helps make sure that we can pay full attention to all that goes into them.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, May 23rd - Tuesday, May 28th
CR Graybehl Dry Creek Valley Grenache
4 bottles for $69.99 $17.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $174.99 $14.58/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2015 CR Graybehl Dry Creek Valley Grenache
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2015 CR Graybehl Dry Creek Valley Grenache - $35 = 16.66%
2015 CR Graybehl Grenache
LOOK: Pretty, semi-translucent magenta color. Good clarity. Closely spaced slow-running legs when swirled.
SMELL: Strawberry preserves, cassis, violets and a dash of wet straw. Possibly some brett? Enticing aroma, I keep sticking my nose in the glass…
TASTE: Very similar to the nose, with the addition of a little white pepper spiciness and minus the violets. The
strawberry is less jammy on the palate than on the nose. Slightly tart on PnP but quickly rounded into form in the glass. Not super complex but it is super tasty. Oak is well integrated and the tannins are medium while the
finish is medium+.
I tried pairing it with some Beehive Red Butte Hatch Chili cheese and it was an excellent match. The chiles
and spice rub of the cheese brought out more of the white pepper notes in the wine. As with most good pairings the wine made the cheese more enjoyable and vice versa.
SUMMARY: This is a delicious, well-balanced wine. I don’t have a whole lot of experience with Grenache as a
single varietal (although I do love a good GSM) but most of what I have had was, like this, from CA. I have found
two distinct flavor profiles in the ones I have tried. Fruit-forward strawberry-centric vs. Earthy, spicy, smoke
bombs. This is definitely the former and falls right into my wheelhouse. Not sweet by any means but the
strawberry notes do lead the way. Along with the cassis, white pepper, slight funk, oak treatment and tannic
structure, it all comes together synergistically to create some great juice!
@chipgreen that cheese is amazing… and great notes!
@TechnoViking
Agreed and thanks!
@chipgreen
Great note Chip sounds right up my alley!
@chipgreen bravo chipgreen!
@ScottW58
Thanks, funny you should chime in as the flavor profile of this wine reminds me of the Broc Cellars Dry Stack Grenache that your comments convinced me to buy years ago on wine.woot!
@chipgreen the PH seems high. Was the wine flabby at all?
@losthighwayz
Definitely not flabby although I suppose it could become so over time. The pH doesn’t really seem that high to me although combined with the TA I can see some cause for concern, at least in regards to long-term aging potential. The winemaker suggests a 3-5 year drinking window and that sounds about right.
@chipgreen
Damm I’m getting old, Broc was on Woot? I don’t remember that but I do remember the wine! That’s some high praise for this bottle. Thanks Chip!
@ScottW58
Yes, I wish we could get a Broc offer on Casemates. I don’t remember what made me look them up a couple months ago but they have a really interesting lineup of wines. I seriously considered signing up for their wine club.
@chipgreen
Their cab franc absolutely kills too!
Dang! Grenache is one of my fave varietals. I like to think if it as a bridge between pinot noir and zinfandel. Plus neutral oak from a boutique winery in Dry Creek? Wth how am I supposed to pass this up
/giphy bizarre-red-plantation
Any NE OH peeps want in on this?
@chipgreen Tempted and if this means you have bought a case, I may come to you for a couple.
@pjmartin
Just let me know!
@chipgreen Like I told you yesterday I’m not buying any more wine for awhile. It’s been awhile so I’ll take 2 if you’re willing to split.
@mrn1
Haha, you’ve got it!
So I understand very limited production on this wine, but out of curiosity why the discrepancy where the tasting notes state 346 cases produced but the specifications say 162 Cases? (Maybe 162 cases left for the casemates sale?)
I’d like some, socal split?
@CorTot That could work if others join in.
@CorTot @merrybill molarchae likes Grenache. She might enjoy having a couple more bottles around once she’s back off the wagon.
@CorTot 4 way split?
@CorTot @merrybill @klezman 4 way split?
@CorTot @klezman @merrybill let me know either way!
@CorTot @klezman @losthighwayz I’m good with a 4-way as long as a VMP member buys it.
@klezman @losthighwayz @merrybill Im not VMP.
@CorTot @losthighwayz @merrybill I’m VMP and can buy if needed. I’d probably opt for 2 if anybody wants 4, but I guess we can handle a third. We are way overflowing still and consumption is dramatically reduced of late.
@CorTot @klezman @losthighwayz I was hoping Lost would get it; he was the most excited at the beginning (he might even take a 4th bottle). I think he’s a VMP, but I’m not sure.
@CorTot @klezman @losthighwayz @merrybill
I’m good for 2+
@CorTot @losthighwayz @merrybill @rjquillin Did this get purchased? My wine ledger wants to know…
@klezman @losthighwayz @merrybill @rjquillin I do not think so.
@CorTot @klezman @losthighwayz @merrybill
Yet another CASE where promised tools would likely have assured a purchase
@winedavid49 @dave
@CorTot @dave @klezman @losthighwayz @merrybill @rjquillin @Winedavid49
What’s $120,000 between friends? Errr, mates?
Bottle arrived Tuesday night followed by the e-mail about an hour later to expect the bottle. A fellow lab member accepted the package and told me I had to share. So why not this will be a mixed review from 4 people. We let the bottle settle over night and let it chill the following day to about 57 degrees.
The color is a dark plum red, clear and bright. First impression after pulling the cork was a smell of medium acid, strong alcohol and very little fruitiness. First taste was still acidic, alcohol, bitter, and strong tannins. Any fruit was muted but leaned to the plum and amarena cherry.
Maybe putting a slight chill on this wine upset it so we let the bottle and our glasses relax over the next hour. As it warmed the alcohol smell and taste diminished, but the acidity was still present. The plum and cherry came out more along with a light peppery spice. The tannins are still strong for me and there is a rocky, earthy, leather taste.
We saved about a third of the bottle to sip on Thursday night. I still find this a very acidic wine. The alcohol has mellowed dramatically we get a tart pomegranate and still moderate tannins and leather. There are also more floral notes. I liken it to dried wild flowers and their greens.
Looking back at my consumption I only come across 4 other Grenache or Rhone bottles. I know I have had more but clearly didn’t make any notes.
One was a 2013 Ricitos de Oro Navarra Blach Garnacha & White Garnacha which I did not like. A 2015 Bruno Lafon Cotes Du Rhone which i did enjoy, and a 2014 Clos d’Alzan Cotes du Rhone Villages Sinargues again which I enjoyed. Maybe the blends I have tried before are more to my taste this is a pass for me.
@jml326
Yikes, sounds like a completely different wine than what I experienced! Maybe some bottle variation?
@chipgreen or noses and palates
Yay for neighbor splits!
/giphy jingly-hungry-catfish
@wmhatch neighbors make the best casemates!
HI everybody!
Casey here, owner/winemaker for C R Graybehl wines.
Out of all the vineyard designate Grenache’s we make, this is always my favorite. The clonal selection and the site are very well suited to produce wines that remind me of the wonderful wines of Gigondas. Which is about 15 miles from Chateauneuf-Du-Pape. Not quite as powerful (and ripe) as CdP but elegant and rich.
With this 2015 vintage, we began our experiment, specifically with this lot, into whole cluster fermentation. With 50% of the clusters not desteemed and the other 50% destemmed over the top. I find that it imparts the great white pepper and cedar box notes that I find in French Grenaches. As well as helping fight astringency which can be pronounced in this varietal. I liked the results so much, that after this vintage we now do all of our lots with at least some whole cluster if not 100%.
This wine was then aged in 50% once used French oak, the other half being neutral French. So there is some light oak on the wine, but it’s more structural in nature.
And I’ll add a funny/interesting thing here about my winemaking for Grenache. For the first few vintages in this project, I treated all of our Grenache’s like Pinot. Long cold soaks, gentle cap manipulations, separating out the press fractions and then barrel aging with no rackings and no air contact. There is much discussion and thought that Grenache, as does Pinot, is very susceptible to oxidation. But after the wines were bottled, it would take several years for them to open up again.
This is one of those wines.
I personally feel it is just now coming back to where it was pre-bottling and shining again. So although it will only get better over the next couple of years, I think it’s tasting great, right now!
I really like this wine and I hope you will too.
And I’m happy to answer any questions, comments, gripes, accolades, or bad jokes you care to pass on.
@The_Grenachista
Welcome to Casemates! Thank you for the offer and your participation. I am absolutely loving this wine! Not that it makes any real difference but I am curious about the question asked by @nklb as to the number of cases produced.
My only other question is… why haven’t I been drinking more Grenache?
@chipgreen @nklb Glad to be here and to share.
The case production dependency is an unforced error on my part. In actuality, we made 162 cases of the wine. When writing the tech-sheet, I mistakenly doubled up that number and then never corrected it. I really need to have my wife read over these things before I release them! But it happens when you’re a two person company, our “marketing department” misses the copy errors.
And I agree, we all need more Grenache in our lives!
As Manfred Krankl famously said, “Grenache delivers what Pinot promises”.
Not that I don’t love a good Pinot, but you’all know that there’s really no such thing anymore as a Pinot that is both good, and affordable.
But Grenache…
@nklb @The_Grenachista
Haha, understandable. Thanks again and so true about Pinot. The movie Sideways was both a blessing and a curse!
@chipgreen @The_Grenachista
This is all @chipgreen’s fault. I had initially not planned to purchase this, but his Day 2 Review (below) persuaded me. Four bottles on the way.
While I’m thinking about it, any suggestions for a drinking window?
@chipgreen @Shrdlu I feel like this wine is just starting to open up. I recently opened a 2013 from the same vineyard and it was tasting like an aged CdP, in a good way. So short story long, if I was you, I’d drink over the next three years, but these babies can and do age well.
@The_Grenachista thanks for jumping on board! Why call your latest vintage noir? Also, curious about the name change to grenachista
@losthighwayz hey there. We rebranded for the 2016 vintage. Hence why I’m here and you’re getting this awesome deal. It’s hard to carry your old brand when you’re trying to change to the new.
And I do love our new brand work.
And Grenache Noir. It’s really about marketing. Although the true name of the Grenache varietal is Grenache Noir, us lazy Americans and Australians (at least with language) dropped the Noir part. Grenache Noir is recognized by the federal TTB. So I figured I’d go to that as the varietal name. Classy huh. I also thought it might trap a Pinot Noir drinker in our web. It’s working so far. And I think we might be the first in a long time to use it. But after all Noir just means black in French.
PANS! GLANDS! CRAYONS! AWESOME!
This sounds likes it’s up my alley. Any Seattle folks interested?
Any WNY folks up for a split?
2015 CR Graybehl Grenache - Day 2
Half bottle left, vacu-vin’d overnight. Poured a glass and took a sniffy-sniff. Again, the strawberry is front and center. Maybe even more prevalent than last night as the cassis and floral notes are less noticeable. The “dash of wet straw” now seems more herbal than funky. Sage is what comes to mind. Looking for alcohol in the nose this time and I can detect it but it is very faint. Like last night, I find the nose to be very pleasant.
Sipping on the wine, it tastes pretty much identical to last night. I am noticing a somewhat juicy mouthfeel that I always enjoy. Funny how a wine can be both juicy and tannic. I agree with the
comment from the second paragraph of the tasting notes at the top of the page. In fact, I agree with pretty much the entire paragraph except for the blueberries. Pasted below;
I will not be sad if there are no takers on my offer to share the case I bought last night!
OK, so I have a few Candy Basket dark chocolate salted caramels here and I tried one with the wine. A good pairing for sure, but not quite as good as with the Beehive cheese from last night. Interestingly, the combination brought out some light earthy notes in the wine that were not noticeable before. Like loam or topsoil.
I also have some artisan peanut butter cups from Waggoner Chocolates, a local chocolatier from Canton, OH. I bought some Easter gifts for friends and family and couldn’t resist getting a little something for moi as well.
Wow! Just fantastic! Looks like this is a “cheat day”…
@chipgreen @pjmartin Ahh. He tempts us with the “great juice” report and then makes it even more tempting by talking chocolate and then revokes the share offer.
So, depending, or if there’s enough NE OH interest for a second case, I’m in the willing category. Totally optional, however.
@marikar @pjmartin
I just bought a second case. Whoever wants some can have some!
/giphy ludicrous-serious-lumber
/giphy wrecked-fearless-lace
Any interest in a split PDX?
FYI, the 4-packs are Sold Out.
Sounds like a good one to try…in for a case
/giphy lacy-uneven-mint
Was going to get a 4 pack but they’re gone, guess I was supposed to buy a case.
/giphy devilish-operatic-faucet
More please.