Immersed in a luxuriously deep ink hue, this grenache unveils a captivating symphony of aromas. Rich and enticing, it beckons with alluring notes of wild strawberry and fruit compote, complemented by subtle hints of cedar tree tips. On the palate, the wine reveals a refreshing vivacity, boasting a bright demeanor and well-integrated acidity that masterfully harmonizes with the fruit flavors. The magical finish lingers, weaving a tapestry of raspberry, black cherry, and a subtle wisp of black pepper. For an enchanting experience, serve slightly chilled and pair with your favorite robust and hearty dishes.
About the Vintage
Within the North Coast region, the start of the 2022 growing season was marked by favorable weather conditions extending into the early summer months. However, the situation shifted as a prolonged heatwave emerged in late August, hastening the harvesting process and leading to diminished yields for certain grape varieties.
In the Vineyard
The grapes are from vineyards in Talmage, just outside of Ukiah, on the Eastern side of the Russian River. These vineyards contain gravelly soils in some areas and richer, river sediment in others, resulting in wines that are plump with lively, bright fruit and refined tannins.
Specs
Winemaker: Sarah Vandendriessche
Appellation: Mendocino
Harvest Date: 10/10/22
Alcohol: 14.1%
pH: 3.37
Total Acidity: 5.66 g/L
Barrels/Aging: 12 Months in 100% Neutral French Oak
What’s Included
4-bottles:
4x 2022 Elizabeth Spencer Grenache, Mendocino Case:
12x 2022 Elizabeth Spencer Grenache, Mendocino
Price Comparison
Not all wines for sale on winery website, $420/case MSRP
Nestled in the heart of Napa Valley, Elizabeth Spencer is more than a winery—it is a testament to the art of craft and the spirit of exploration. Behind the storied brick walls of a historic 1872 Post Office, an intimate world of fine wines and warm hospitality unfolds. Step into our hidden retreat, where every bottle tells a story of place, passion, and pursuit—of exceptional vineyards, of timeless craftsmanship, and of the magic that happens when wine and people come together.
From its inception, Elizabeth Spencer was founded on a commitment to producing wines that reflect the purity of fruit, balance, and a true sense of place. The first release in 1998—a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon—set the tone for what would become a celebrated collection of wines sourced from premier vineyards across Napa Valley. Over time, a deep respect for California’s diverse terroirs led to new partnerships with exceptional growers in Sonoma and Mendocino, expanding the winery’s reach while remaining true to its artisanal roots.
In 2006, Elizabeth Spencer found its home in the heart of Rutherford, where the historic 1872 brick Post Office was transformed into an inviting tasting room. Beyond its storied walls lies a hidden sanctuary—lush, sun-dappled gardens that offer a serene escape in wine country. Here, among the blooms and beneath the vines, guests are welcomed to savor wines that embody the land and the seasons. With an enduring commitment to quality and hospitality, Elizabeth Spencer continues to craft wines that celebrate the beauty of Napa Valley and beyond—offering a place of discovery, connection, and unforgettable experiences.
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
@chipgreen@losthighwayz
Did you look at the link?
What is the URL?
Oh, it’s the winery site linking to the parent company that owns Elizabeth Spencer; boissetcollection.com
where you can find all the ES wines, not just the few they happen to be currently marketing.
That Tasting Panel review:
Buoyant mouthfeel, light and airy, balanced out with savory undertones of umami. Rose petals surround pomegranate and persimmon. Expressive and lively, fresh, and elegant. A fantastic food partner. 1/1/25
Thank you for the chance to labrat this one! I want to put out a caveat for this one - bottle came on Friday so it had almost no time to rest before drinking.
Pop and pour initial impression had a very muted nose. Light garnet color, light enough to surprise my wife. First sip the acidity is the strongest trait for me, finishing very strong with it. Not a lot of fruit initially, leaning toward dark berries.
After a bit of time, the second glass drank much like the first. The acid in the finish is the most prominent feature of the wine, which I liked quite a bit. I wouldn’t describe the fruit as lively like the description on the site says, but this could also just be from the lack of rest. The acidity helped the wine hold up well with dinner, which was a flatbread pizza, and I quite enjoyed the pairing
In general I liked it more than my wife, but it’s gotten colder here and we’re drinking heavier wines now. I would love to have this when it’s warmer out and I want something lighter, and can easily picture this wine going extremely well sitting out on the porch with some cheese.
@rmm989 Honest question from someone who is far from experienced with wine (besides enjoying drinking it):
Is there any evidence that letting a closed bottle of wine “rest” has an impact on the flavor? What does this really mean?
Obviously aging a bottle is different but that’s not the context I see it in with labrat reports obviously. My intuition is that if anything an agitated bottle will have less stratification of various compounds to the extent that happens with letting a bottle stand - which sounds like a good thing to me?
@FirstSucker@rjquillin I think this would go great on a thanksgiving meal. Usually we’ll pull out some Iron Horse Pinot, but I think the acidity would really hold up well against the food
@Csl312@rmm989
Wines can experience “travel shock”. Some people believe more strongly than others in this phenomenon, but there seems to be enough documentation out there to say that it is a legit concern.
@Csl312 there’s a lot of debate about whether travel shock even happens, but IMO it’s mostly about temperature changes happening rapidly. I think it might have muted the fruit in this case because it was much less than I would have expected from a grenache
Good morning and happy weekend!
2022 Elizabeth Spencer Special Cuvee Grenache Mendocino
This arrived mid Friday afternoon for Saturday sale so not much time to let the bottle rest. Crazy schedule this weekend so this will be short and sweet.
On PnP: Color: light ruby
Nose: strawberry, red fruits and black licorice
Taste: strawberry and cherry. The wine is fruity but dry, with a little peppery spice. Tannins are light, medium acidity and finish. This went well with roasted chicken, as that was what was on the menu.
Overall this was a nice, lighter red wine and would go well with lighter meals or just on its own. Thanks all at WCC for sending me a new wine to taste!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Elizabeth Spencer Grenache - $55 = 21.56%
@chipgreen@MacMiami@netcommsyn@Ten9Eight
Interesting cross-site promotions.
Need to add between 40 and 60 for shipping,
and then WD doesn’t make anything to keep this site alive and going…
2022 Elizabeth Spencer Grenache, Mendocino
94 Points, The Tasting Panel
Tasting Notes
About the Vintage
In the Vineyard
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not all wines for sale on winery website, $420/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Dec 1 - Thursday, Dec 4
2022 Elizabeth Spencer Grenache
4 bottles for $84.99 $21.25/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Better than average audio clip from the vintner with this
Curious why this isn’t on their website. Didn’t make the quality cut? Second label?
@losthighwayz
Perhaps you just need to enhance search skills
link
@rjquillin perhaps you need to be less snarky your link is not to the winery website so perhaps you need to work on your reading skills
@losthighwayz @rjquillin
Not sure you should be the one telling others to be less snarky.
@chipgreen @losthighwayz @rjquillin
/giphy y’all-need-to-chill
@chipgreen @losthighwayz
Did you look at the link?
What is the URL?
Oh, it’s the winery site linking to the parent company that owns Elizabeth Spencer;
boissetcollection.com
where you can find all the ES wines, not just the few they happen to be currently marketing.
@chipgreen @rjquillin I see you’re easily triggered
@chipgreen @losthighwayz @rjquillin
That Tasting Panel review:
Buoyant mouthfeel, light and airy, balanced out with savory undertones of umami. Rose petals surround pomegranate and persimmon. Expressive and lively, fresh, and elegant. A fantastic food partner. 1/1/25
fwiw
The /showme command is a member feature. Join membership to try it out.
/showme Rose petals surround pomegranate and persimmon
@kaolis @rjquillin A pomegranate peace sign.
Thank you for the chance to labrat this one! I want to put out a caveat for this one - bottle came on Friday so it had almost no time to rest before drinking.
Pop and pour initial impression had a very muted nose. Light garnet color, light enough to surprise my wife. First sip the acidity is the strongest trait for me, finishing very strong with it. Not a lot of fruit initially, leaning toward dark berries.
After a bit of time, the second glass drank much like the first. The acid in the finish is the most prominent feature of the wine, which I liked quite a bit. I wouldn’t describe the fruit as lively like the description on the site says, but this could also just be from the lack of rest. The acidity helped the wine hold up well with dinner, which was a flatbread pizza, and I quite enjoyed the pairing
In general I liked it more than my wife, but it’s gotten colder here and we’re drinking heavier wines now. I would love to have this when it’s warmer out and I want something lighter, and can easily picture this wine going extremely well sitting out on the porch with some cheese.
@rmm989 high praise indeed… “ In general I liked it more than my wife”
@FirstSucker @rmm989
Grenache can be popular as well with T-day fare, if it delivers a bit early
@rmm989 Honest question from someone who is far from experienced with wine (besides enjoying drinking it):
Is there any evidence that letting a closed bottle of wine “rest” has an impact on the flavor? What does this really mean?
Obviously aging a bottle is different but that’s not the context I see it in with labrat reports obviously. My intuition is that if anything an agitated bottle will have less stratification of various compounds to the extent that happens with letting a bottle stand - which sounds like a good thing to me?
@FirstSucker @rjquillin I think this would go great on a thanksgiving meal. Usually we’ll pull out some Iron Horse Pinot, but I think the acidity would really hold up well against the food
@FirstSucker she’s fully in big red cold weather mode
@Csl312 @rmm989
Wines can experience “travel shock”. Some people believe more strongly than others in this phenomenon, but there seems to be enough documentation out there to say that it is a legit concern.
@FirstSucker @rmm989
I think you missed the semantics of the comment, as in, you like the wine better than you like your wife.
@Csl312 there’s a lot of debate about whether travel shock even happens, but IMO it’s mostly about temperature changes happening rapidly. I think it might have muted the fruit in this case because it was much less than I would have expected from a grenache
@Csl312 @rmm989 Does travel shock exist? Flip a coin. Now if the wine has sediment and needs time to settle I believe to be a different argument
@rmm989 thank you (all) for the answers.
I wonder what the rationale would be of changes induced by temp fluctuations mellowing over a period of days at a constant room temp.
Sediment I can certainly see, that shouldn’t take more than a day or so to settle out I’d assume.
Forgive me, I’m a scientist with a background in physics and biology with a bit of chemistry thrown in so these are the things that I wonder about
@Csl312 @rmm989 go to wineberserkers.com, go to the “Wine Talk” forum, search travel shock. Quite a bit of discussion there.
Good morning and happy weekend!
2022 Elizabeth Spencer Special Cuvee Grenache Mendocino
This arrived mid Friday afternoon for Saturday sale so not much time to let the bottle rest. Crazy schedule this weekend so this will be short and sweet.
On PnP: Color: light ruby
Nose: strawberry, red fruits and black licorice
Taste: strawberry and cherry. The wine is fruity but dry, with a little peppery spice. Tannins are light, medium acidity and finish. This went well with roasted chicken, as that was what was on the menu.
Overall this was a nice, lighter red wine and would go well with lighter meals or just on its own. Thanks all at WCC for sending me a new wine to taste!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Elizabeth Spencer Grenache - $55 = 21.56%
Available from Deloach @ $120 case plus shipping.
@netcommsyn Deloach as in the vineyards? It’s on their site?
@MacMiami @netcommsyn
Also owned by Boisset.
@MacMiami @netcommsyn @rjquillin https://deloachvineyards.com/shop/elizabeth-spencer-mendocino-grenache-2022-12pack
@MacMiami @netcommsyn @rjquillin @Ten9Eight
Nice!
@chipgreen @MacMiami @netcommsyn @Ten9Eight
Interesting cross-site promotions.
Need to add between 40 and 60 for shipping,
and then WD doesn’t make anything to keep this site alive and going…
@MacMiami @netcommsyn @rjquillin @Ten9Eight
…on this one deal? There were pretty much no sales before that comment.
Winery participation > better than average audio clips.
@netcommsyn thanks! Order in
With shipping MA case cost came to $176.
@netcommsyn
Casemates price to OH with tax/shipping = $224.29.