"Intense, rich and grapey, offering snappy berry, rose petal and mineral flavors, with a touch of stemminess that gives this a tannic edge, but also traction to the flavors. Drink now through 2018. 500 cases made." (WS)
"More impressive, but nearly twice the price, is the 2008 Grenache Purisma Mountain Vineyard. This is an outstanding example of Grenache from the Santa Ynez Valley. Beautiful kirsch liqueur, lavender, spice box, and sweet black currants jump from the glass of this deep ruby/plum-colored wine. In the mouth, raspberries make an appearance in a rich, full-bodied, silky textured wine that is both hedonistic and intellectually pleasing. This is a super example of Grenache that should drink nicely for another 4-6 years.
Two of the finest bargains year in and year out from California’s Central Coast are Beckman’s red Cuvee Le Bec and their more recent white, Le Bec Blanc. Both can probably be found for under $18 at discounters. I tasted four Syrahs from Beckman Vineyards, all of them meriting an outstanding score. This corroborates past performances over the last decade that Beckman is one of the best producers from Santa Ynez." (WA)
"($48) Vivid ruby. Sexy aromas of raspberry liqueur, candied cherry, potpourri and a hint of white pepper. Offers sweet red fruit flavors and a velvety texture, with slow-building smokiness and a touch of bitter cherry. Fine-grained tannins add grip to a long, juicy, red fruit-dominated finish. This is already showing very well." (IWC)
"The combination of very high alcohol and what tastes like residual sugar gives this Grenache an excessively sweet, glyceriney taste. It’s fabulously rich in raspberry cream, blackberry jam, mocha, vanilla and cinnamon spice flavors. Very flamboyant and delicious, but really more of a dessert wine than a dry table wine." (WE)
Winery Notes:
From a stylistic standpoint, our Purisima Mountain Vineyard Grenache truly came into its own in 2001, when conditions in the growing season led us to co-ferment our best Grenache lots with a modest amount of Syrah. This turned out to be a happy accident of sorts, adding color, texture, length, flavor and a softer, plusher tannin profile to the wine. As a result, we have been adding in 10 to 15 percent Syrah ever since. This is the 10th vintage of our PMV Grenache, and it coincides with one of the finest Grenache vintages in memory. The wine leads with enticing pomegranate, grenadine, licorice and anise aromatics before revealing voluptuous elements of cherry, chocolate and spice box. |
