Grenache - Spear Vineyards & Winery

Grenache is a thinned skin yet versatile red grape variety native to Northern Spain. It naturally ripens extremely slowly and requires warm dry climates to properly express itself. Grenache is the primary grape used to produce the lighthearted mineral rosés of Provence, yet it also can be crafted into a deep, brooding, powerful style in Priorat. It's propensity towards high yields and ability to withstand drought have made it a popular choice in hot and arid growing regions such as California and Washington. Thanks to the grape's natural fruitiness and relatively low tannin Grenache based wines can be friendly and easy to drink when young. Despite this the variety also has a unique ability to express terroir which has caught the attention of passion growers across the world.

Pictured here is a Grenache cluster from the Spear Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills appellation of Santa Barbara California. While the Santa Rita Hills is an extremely cool growing region Grenache can still achieve ripeness here due to the very long and dry growing season. Grenache based wines from this region tend to be light to medium bodied but express a terrific sense of the marine terroir. They are earthy, spicy, fruity, & energetic yet retain graceful acidity and a sense of weightlessness. Grenache berries are typically slightly lighter in color then most dark skinned grapes, and thus the finished wines typically exhibit a bright translucent red sheen. Grenache is still a relatively new addition to the repertoire of grape varieties being grown in the Santa Rita Hills but it is already creating some tremendous excitement. A few very experienced producers are touting these wines as the next big thing in the region and so far we tend to agree.