Richard and Suzi Mills
Old World – New World
March 13, 2021
Virtual
New members Richard and Suzi Mills stepped to the plate to fill out lineup of tastings with a full slate of 8 Grenache wines. They also realized that many of us were not very familiar with Grenache, so they boldly broke with tradition by making the tasting more of an introduction to this varietal than a pure competition.
Grenache is believed to have originated in Spain (Garnacha) but is grown throughout the world. It has a late harvest date and is consequently relatively high in alcohol. This makes it an ideal blending wine (think GSM, Chateauneuf-du-Pape). However, it stands on its own as a single varietal as well, and depending on the style, can be drunk immediately or can age for many years.
We tasted four wines from the Old World and four from the New World and included Italy, France, Spain, Australia and California.
Arranged by bottle number
Since the theme was an introduction to Grenache, the voting was not blind. Everyone knew the label in advance. A couple of people changed their mind after the meeting and the next day, so here are the final official amended results:
Grenache Ranking
| Rank | Points | Wine | Price | Bottle |
| 1 | 94 | Domaine de la Janasse Cotes du Rhone Cuvée Les Garrigue 2018 (France) | $45.99 | 2 |
| 2 | 103 | Lost Blues High Horse Grenache 2017 (California) | $43.99 | 6 |
| 3 | 105 | A Tribute to Grace – Provisor Vineyards Grenache 2015 (California) | $49.99 | 5 |
| 4 | 105 | Skinner Grenache 2018 (California) | $24.99 | 7 |
| 5 | 108 | Argiolas Senes Cannonau di Sardegna Reserva 2016 (Italy) | $39.99 | 1 |
| 6 | 113 | Pegaso Cebreros Garnacha Barrancos de Pizarro 2016 (Spain) | $52.99 | 4 |
| 7 | 118 | Palacios Remondo Rioja Propiedad 2015 (Spain) | $48.99 | 3 |
| 8 | 118 | Yalumba Tri-Centenary Vineyard Grenache 2013 (Australia) | $52.99 | 8 |
Footnotes indicate change of mind
Cellar Society of San Francisco 