Posts Tagged grenache

I was introduced to this wine a few years ago as a true value wine. Borsao, a Spanish producer, makes a couple of different wines that are mostly grenache-based. Of these, all of them tend to be well-made, drinkable wines that go well with foods but can also be enjoyed as well on their own. I’ve had their lower-end Borsao red, which is a light, easy drinking wine retailing for 7-8 bucks. Their Tres Picos bottling usually retails for a little more, around $12-14 and also has a little more structure and richness to go with some good fruit. This vintage is no exception. This wine also seemed to be a favorite of many of the wine critics where it scored well, including a 91pt review from Josh Raynolds of the International Wine Cellar.

I’ve had two bottles of this Spanish red in recent weeks with very similar tasting notes. The one thing I noticed both times is the wine comes off a little young and grape-y initially. I’d suggest it would be a good idea to let it breath for 30 minutes or so, before diving in. Let some of that youth burn off and the structure that is there will come up to the top a little more. Overall, good body and mouth-feel. This wine has a very soft and approachable taste that makes it rather food friendly.

There are some decent tannins in the wine, along with fruit to hold things together nicely. The nose is nice, cherry and anise, with some oak. Overall, the flavors are predominately cherry and plum, with some cinnamon and tobacco mixed in. There are some other spices as well that pepper it a little. Maybe a little bit of bitter chocolate as well. The finish is strong yet pleasant and it finished clean with maybe just a little bit of extra sugar, probably due to the youth of the fruit.

Overall, I’ve got to say that Borsao continues to make solid, easy to enjoy wines, and at a very reasonable price. Its easy to see why this is definitely a wine I come back to again and again. I’m going to agree with Mr. Raynolds and rating this a slightly outstanding.

Spanish Grenache always seems to drink nicely. I’ve tried a number of them and they all seem to have good rich fruit along with some sort of interesting notes of earthiness and texture underneath. Here are a few of the standouts over the last year. Additionally, having the 2007 Tres Picos, I can say that this producer is very consistent in the quality of wine.

2005 Vinos Sin-Ley G4 Garnacha
This was a nice little wine, while not extraordinary by any means, it delivered a nice glass of wine that was soft, flavorful and went great with food. Blueberries and cherries throughout the flavor, combined with soft tannins and an herbal nature. The wine seemed to have good balance and kept everything together throughout the tasting. Priced around $10.

Rating: 90pts

2006 Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha
This picture-perfect Spanish Grenache was full of raspberries and cranberries, followed by an earthy core and solid backbone. The wine had a big bold nature, and was rather fruit forward. The finish however was smooth and fluid with nicely integrated tannins and a subtle finish. Priced around $14.

Rating: 91pts

2005 Ludovicus Terra Alta Pinol
This wine had a deep garnet color with a purple tinge around the end. It started out a little green and acidic and there was bit of a Welch’s grape juice component. However within about 30 minutes, this wine really started to shine, exhibiting raspberries, mushrooms, dried cherry and tobacco notes. The tannins were nicely integrated, and over the course of the evening, the wine continued to soften, becoming more and more enjoyable. This was a real nice surprise for around $10.

Rating: 90+ pts