{"title":"Grenache","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGrenache is a widely planted grape variety that thrives in its Mediterranean home. In Spain, it's known as Garnacha, where it reaches its peak in the Sierra de Gredos as a pure varietal wine, while also being a key blending component in Rioja. France's Southern Rhône, notably Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is another well-known region, where Grenache is often the base of a blended wine. Grenache also finds a home in Sardinia as Cannonau, and it has spread beyond its Mediterranean origins, most famously to Australia's Barossa Valley. The resulting wines are typically light in color, yet they possess a full body and flavor, displaying mature red fruit notes, herbal spices, and often a hint of orange peel, along with soft tannins and moderate acidity. It is an incredibly versatile grape, showing different expressions based on its terroir and the winemaking style employed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"comando-g-1er-cru-el-reventon-2022","title":"Comando G El Reventon Grand Cru 2022","description":"\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cstrong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eThe Land\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eThe El Reventón Grand Cru is sourced from a vineyard located in the vicinity of the village of Cebreros. The soils here are similar to those of Las Iruelas, with a predominance of slate. As this is the last vintage of this bottling due to the decision of the winemakers to focus their efforts elsewhere, this is a wine that has reached its peak after the discovery of other vineyards in the area that could better represent what the team was looking for.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cstrong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eThis 2022 Garnacha is made with native yeast and whole cluster fermentation and then aged in a combination of French oak vats and used oak barrels. This particular bottling offers an intense, layered, and complex version of Garnacha, showing a notable minerality and structure along with deep red and black fruit tones and a core of spice. The wine seeks to show the best of the terroir. It is a wine that exemplifies all that this producer has strived to do in the region, and is a fitting sendoff for the label.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cstrong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eThe People\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eComando G, the project of Dani Landi and Fernando Garcia, was founded to showcase the unique terroirs of the Sierra de Gredos. They have sought to make wines that are expressive and unique through their commitment to organic and biodynamic farming practices, along with minimal intervention in the cellar. The wines have been made to be a pure expression of the region and of the work of these two important producers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stelvio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46707554451679,"sku":null,"price":299.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P1230324.jpg?v=1737675929"},{"product_id":"clos-i-terrasses-clos-erasmus-2022","title":"Clos i Terrasses Clos Erasmus 2022","description":"","brand":"Stelvio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46744499847391,"sku":null,"price":375.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P2060408.jpg?v=1738890820"},{"product_id":"alain-jaume-lirac-clos-de-sixte-2020","title":"Alain Jaume \u0026 Fils Lirac “Clos de Sixte” 2020","description":"","brand":"Sauce","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46827881627871,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P3120668.jpg?v=1743281449"},{"product_id":"aphelion-hickinbotham-vineyard-grenache-2022","title":"Aphelion Hickinbotham Vineyard Grenache 2022","description":"","brand":"Giuliana","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47145350332639,"sku":null,"price":95.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P7191540.jpg?v=1752974476"},{"product_id":"comando-g-las-umbrias-2022","title":"Comando G Las Umbrias 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e65 year old vines on granite at 1,000 meters. 40 to 60 day maceration, aged 14 months in large French vat. Considered the most delicate of all the cru wines. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stelvio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47204873896159,"sku":null,"price":300.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8091682.jpg?v=1754871812"},{"product_id":"comando-g-las-iruelas-2022","title":"Comando G “Las Iruelas\" 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e60 year old vines on sandy granite at 1,000 meters. 16 months in 500L French oak. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stelvio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47204876746975,"sku":null,"price":300.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8091681.jpg?v=1754871787"},{"product_id":"comando-g-rumbo-al-norte-2022","title":"Comando G Rumbo al Norte 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stelvio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47224952717535,"sku":null,"price":610.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8121706.jpg?v=1755046319"},{"product_id":"villa-creek-avenger-2021","title":"Villa Creek Avenger 2021","description":"","brand":"CS Wine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47466034659551,"sku":null,"price":70.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/PA072120.jpg?v=1759888516"},{"product_id":"domaine-du-grand-tinel-chateauneuf-du-pape-2017","title":"Domaine du Grand Tinel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2017","description":"","brand":"S\u0026M","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47509685403871,"sku":null,"price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/PA280063.jpg?v=1761766713"},{"product_id":"la-cour-des-graces-cotes-du-rhone-2021","title":"La Cour des Graces Côtes-du-Rhône 2021","description":"","brand":"Wine Down Selections","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47549752508639,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/PB010097.jpg?v=1762043683"},{"product_id":"mathis-wine-grenache-2021","title":"Mathis Grenache Sonoma Valley 2021","description":"","brand":"Misa Colorado","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47601023221983,"sku":null,"price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/PB200262.jpg?v=1763679971"},{"product_id":"seppeltsfield-grenache-barossa-valley-2022","title":"Seppeltsfield Grenache Barossa Valley 2022","description":"","brand":"Giuliana","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47604849672415,"sku":null,"price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/PB220291.jpg?v=1763864115"},{"product_id":"domaine-du-grand-tinel-chateauneuf-du-pape-heres-2017","title":"Domaine du Grand Tinel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Heres 2017","description":"","brand":"S\u0026M","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47620754407647,"sku":null,"price":77.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/PB280338.jpg?v=1764470834"},{"product_id":"etienne-essen-lirac-2023","title":"Etienne Essen Lirac 2023","description":"","brand":"CS Wine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48388185719007,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P1250690.jpg?v=1769410980"},{"product_id":"comando-g-el-hombre-bala-2021","title":"Comando G \/ Uvas Felices El Hombre Bala 2021","description":"","brand":"Harvest","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48395813257439,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P1280750.jpg?v=1769666630"},{"product_id":"rotem-mounir-saouma-chateauneuf-du-pape-arioso-2022","title":"Rotem \u0026 Mounir Saouma Chateauneuf-du-Pape \"Arioso\" 2021","description":"","brand":"Rndc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48439070163167,"sku":null,"price":270.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P2140902-2.jpg?v=1771188845"},{"product_id":"comando-g-la-bruja-de-rozas-2023-1-5l","title":"Comando G La Bruja 2024 1.5L","description":"\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cstrong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eThe Land\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eThe \"La Bruja\" comes from vineyards within the village of Rozas in the Sierra de Gredos. These vines, ranging from 45-65 years old, are planted on sandy granite soils at an altitude of 900 meters. This specific wine comes from sites that, with a recent reclassification of their vineyards in Rozas, have been deemed as more appropriate for a \"village level\" designation, and this 2023 vintage will be the last iteration of the \"La Bruja\" bottling.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cstrong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eThis 2023 Garnacha is made with native yeast fermentations in open vats, with a 40-60 day maceration, and then spends nine months aging in large oak vats. This bottling offers a great expression of Garnacha from the area. It is a highly drinkable and compelling expression of the grape. It offers a range of red fruit flavors, with a complex and layered palate that seeks to show the potential of Garnacha, while also maintaining a clear focus on elegance.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cstrong class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eThe People\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eComando G is the project of Fernando García and Dani Landi, who, after completing their studies in oenology, decided to return to the Sierra de Gredos to rediscover and rescue old Garnacha vineyards. The estate focuses on biodynamic farming and minimal-intervention winemaking, with the clear goal of creating wines that reflect the unique character of their terroir.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stelvio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48445315612895,"sku":null,"price":115.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P2120872.jpg?v=1770934372"},{"product_id":"domaine-la-florane-a-fleur-de-pampre-cotes-du-rhone-villages-visan-rouge-2024","title":"Domaine La Florane “A Fleur de Pampre” Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge 2024","description":"","brand":"Voyager Wine Merchants","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48579362914527,"sku":null,"price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P3141109.jpg?v=1773539134"},{"product_id":"domaine-leon-barral-valiniere-faugeres-2019","title":"Domaine Leon Barral Faugères 2019","description":"","brand":"empire","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48579614310623,"sku":null,"price":38.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P3131092.jpg?v=1773465735"},{"product_id":"yves-leccia-ile-de-beaute-rouge-2022","title":"Yves Leccia Ile de Beaute Rouge 2022","description":"","brand":"empire","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48579630235871,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P3131086.jpg?v=1773465544"},{"product_id":"bernabeleva-arroyo-del-tortolas-tinto","title":"Bernabeleva Arroyo del Tortolas 2023","description":"","brand":"Natural","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49074855280863,"sku":null,"price":49.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P5070134.jpg?v=1778196132"},{"product_id":"yangarra-estate-vineyard-ovitelli-grenache-2021","title":"Yangarra Ovitelli Grenache 2021","description":"","brand":"Rndc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50111324029151,"sku":null,"price":82.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P6140362.jpg?v=1781563131"},{"product_id":"lotis-wines-grenache-provisor-vineyard-2023","title":"Lotis Wines Grenache Provisor Vineyard 2023","description":"","brand":"Misa Colorado","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50121500197087,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P6140361.jpg?v=1781657204"},{"product_id":"el-chaparral-de-vega-garnacha-sindoa-2022","title":"El Chaparral de Vega Garnacha Sindoa 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eValdizarbe is the northernmost pocket of Navarra, a valley southwest of Pamplona that has grown wine since at least the 1400s, long before Rioja became Spain's default answer for red wine. El Chaparral comes from Nekeas's oldest Garnacha plots, forty separate parcels of goblet-trained vines planted between 1890 and 1960, some as old as 115 years. They sit around 400 meters on marl and sandstone soils rich in carbonates, in a continental-Mediterranean climate where hot days, cool nights, and Atlantic breezes push full ripening without burning off freshness. This is Garnacha built on altitude and old wood, not heat and yield.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e100% Garnacha from vines that never got pulled out when the rest of Navarra modernized. The wine leans toward cherry, white chocolate, and violet on the nose, with raspberry, pomegranate, licorice, and aniseed carrying through the palate. The Atlantic influence keeps the wine from tipping into the jammy, high-alcohol style Garnacha can fall into further south and inland; instead it holds real freshness and structure alongside its ripeness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBodegas Nekeas was founded in 1990 when eight local families, brought together by Francisco San Martin, decided to replant 160 hectares in Valdizarbe and revive a winemaking tradition that had nearly disappeared under 20th-century industrialization and depressed grape prices. Rather than pulling the valley's oldest Garnacha vines, as many neighboring growers had, the founding families kept them and built El Chaparral around them. Three decades on, the same families remain involved, and Nekeas has become one of Navarra's clearest arguments for what old-vine Garnacha can do outside of Priorat or Aragon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEl Chaparral's bright red fruit and moderate weight make it a strong match for grilled lamb chops with rosemary, a hearty lentil stew with chorizo, roasted red peppers stuffed with rice, or a plate of manchego and marcona almonds.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Maverick Wine Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50495081611487,"sku":null,"price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P6280559.jpg?v=1782942878"},{"product_id":"maxime-francois-laurent-cotes-du-rhone-il-fait-soif-2023","title":"Maxime Francois Laurent Côtes du Rhône Il Fait Soif 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is southern Rhône wine, but not the heavy, sun-baked kind the region is known for. Maxime-François Laurent farms clay-limestone vineyards around Montbrison-sur-Lez and Valréas, in the cooler, higher Drôme provençale corner of the Côtes du Rhône, with vines between 15 and 30 years old. The name says it all: il fait soif, roughly it's thirsty weather. This is a wine built for freshness and drinkability rather than power, and the site, the farming, and the winemaking all pull in that direction. Higher ground and limestone soils keep the fruit lively where lower, warmer parts of the Rhône give richness instead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA Côtes du Rhône built for pure refreshment, roughly 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Cinsault. Made in a whole-cluster, semi-carbonic style: hand-picked, partially destemmed, macerated about 15 days in concrete on native yeasts, with only a light touch of sulfur added after malolactic fermentation. No oak. The result is bright, juicy, and low in tannin, full of fresh raspberry, cherry, cranberry, black pepper, and a floral, garrigue lift. Serve it with a chill and it practically vanishes from the glass. This is natural southern Rhône at its most joyful and easy. The 2023 vintage was warm in the southern Rhône, giving ripe but lively fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaxime-François Laurent is the son of Michèle Aubéry-Laurent, who runs the legendary Domaine Gramenon, one of the pioneers of natural wine in the Rhône. He launched his own project in 2006, carrying the same philosophy: certified organic and biodynamic farming from the start, native-yeast fermentations, and as little intervention in the cellar as possible. Il Fait Soif is his most immediate, easygoing wine, but it is made with the same care as the serious bottlings. This is natural wine done with real skill rather than as a gimmick.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the ultimate casual, all-purpose red. Serve it lightly chilled with charcuterie and cheese, with pizza or a burger, with roast chicken, or with grilled vegetables and sausages. It is a natural for a picnic or a warm evening on the porch, and it happily handles spiced or grilled food where heavier reds struggle. The kind of bottle that disappears at a party and leaves everyone asking what it was.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Empire","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50534923141343,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P7070623.jpg?v=1783485031"},{"product_id":"hamel-family-grenache-2024","title":"Hamel Family Estate Grenache 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis Grenache comes off the Moon Mountain District, the hillside AVA on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas, with Nuns Canyon Vineyard at its core and a smaller share from the Hamel Family Ranch. These are volcanic sites built on ancient lava flows and fractured basalt, farmed as small soil-defined parcels the estate calls polygons. Elevation, cool nights, and dry-farmed vines on rocky ground push roots deep and hold acidity, which is why Grenache here leans red-fruited and mineral rather than jammy. It is closer in spirit to the southern Rhône than to warm-climate California.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA Grenache-based wine in a restrained, Rhône-leaning style, with small amounts of Mourvèdre and Zinfandel from the estate vineyards. Fermentation runs in stainless steel with roughly half whole clusters left in, and the wine ages in concrete eggs rather than oak, which keeps the fruit vivid and the texture light on its feet. Fresh raspberry and red cherry, dried rose and wild herb, white pepper, and a chalky, volcanic minerality on the finish. There is grip and lift here rather than weight. The 2024 vintage in Sonoma followed a wet winter and a hot summer with a mild, even finish; smaller clusters gave concentrated color and bright acidity, and the year is being called one of the county's best in decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Hamel family bought their first Sonoma property in 2006, and John Hamel has led winemaking since 2017. The estate has been certified organic and biodynamic (CCOF and Demeter) since 2015, dry farms roughly 80% of its acreage, and grazes cattle through the vineyards in winter. Since 2016 the family has worked with Chilean terroir specialist Pedro Parra, known as Dr. Terroir, mapping the volcanic soils meter by meter; Hamel is his only client in California. The cellar work is deliberately restrained: whole-cluster fermentation, concrete aging, minimal handling, all in service of showing the site rather than the winemaking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA versatile red for the table. Herb-roasted chicken with olives, grilled lamb merguez, mushroom and farro risotto, or pork loin with a cherry pan sauce. The bright acidity and peppery lift make it a natural with charred and herb-forward cooking, and it takes a light chill well on a warm evening.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Doug Krenik Selections","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50572456689887,"sku":null,"price":66.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P7160688.jpg?v=1784262396"},{"product_id":"reserve-de-la-tour-saint-michel-chateauneuf-du-pape-1976","title":"Reserve de la Tour Saint-Michel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1976","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChâteauneuf-du-Pape is not one soil but several. The postcard image, fields of fist-sized quartzite galets roulés, covers only part of the appellation; the rest runs to sand, safres sandstone, and clay-limestone. The galets earn their reputation anyway. Dropped by the Alpine Rhône over millennia, they hold daytime heat and give it back overnight, and they force roots deep in a place with little summer rain and a great deal of mistral. The vineyards sit on terraces between Orange and Avignon, and in 1936 this became the first AOC in France, its rules built from a growers' charter drafted in 1923 at Château Fortia. Thirteen varieties are permitted, eighteen if you count the color mutations separately, though Grenache has always done most of the work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFifty years on, this is not the wine it was on release, and it should not be bought as though it were. 1976 was a drought year across France: historic heat, real water stress, small crops. In the southern Rhône that made Châteauneuf of weight and warmth rather than tension, and the best have held. What a bottle shows now is tertiary rather than fruity — dried fig, prune, orange peel, dried lavender and thyme, leather, forest floor, a truffled edge. Tannin resolved long ago, the color is translucent brick going amber at the rim, and the texture reads closer to old Burgundy than to modern Châteauneuf. No blend is documented for this bottling; Grenache-dominant is the reasonable assumption for the vintage, not a verified fact. Stand it upright two days ahead, pull the cork slowly because it will want to crumble, decant off the sediment, and serve cool. Some share of any fifty-year-old bottle disappoints. That is the trade you are making.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHere we owe you plain speech. Trade records show a 1976 Châteauneuf-du-Pape under the Tour Saint-Michel name, and Domaine Tour Saint Michel is a real estate, founded in 1930 by Michel Fabre and run today by his granddaughter Mireille Porte, the third generation. What we cannot confirm is that this specific label, Réserve de la Tour Saint-Michel, came from that cellar rather than from a merchant bottling under a similar name, which was ordinary practice in the Rhône in the 1970s. Fifty-year-old Châteauneuf is frequently thin in the record in exactly this way. We would rather tell you what we know and where the record stops than invent a lineage for it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOld Châteauneuf wants delicate, savory cooking, not the braises you would give a young one. Roast squab or duck breast with figs and a little thyme. Mushroom risotto finished with parmesan, or morels in cream over toast. A roast chicken rubbed with herbes de Provence and nothing clever. Aged Comté, eighteen months or more. Each works because the wine has no tannin left to scrub fat and everything left in dried fruit, earth, and spice, which is where mushrooms and old cheese meet it. Open this for a table of four who will pay attention to the first glass.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wilkie Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50954851680479,"sku":null,"price":110.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8060033.jpg?v=1786064823"},{"product_id":"wills-wine-cotes-du-rhone-avant-midi-2024","title":"Wills Wine Côtes du Rhône “Avant Midi” 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSéguret is one of the Rhône villages that sits high enough to matter. It clings to the western flank of the Dentelles de Montmirail northeast of Orange, at meaningfully higher elevation than the flat Côtes du Rhône vineyards on the valley floor, and the soils shift between clay-limestone and galets roulés, the smooth river stones more famously associated with Châteauneuf. That mix is the reason this wine has both weight and lift: limestone clay retains water and slows ripening, galets hold heat and drive it. The fruit comes from a single organic grower in the village, from Grenache and Mourvèdre planted 60 years ago alongside younger Syrah. Village-level Rhône from old vines on high ground is where the appellation's real value sits.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre from vines ranging 15 to 60 years old, fermented 100% whole bunch in concrete with Mourvèdre juice added to the ferment, then aged 12 months in demi-muid. Bottled unfiltered at 14%. The whole-bunch fermentation and the concrete are what keep the wine energetic rather than heavy despite fully ripe southern fruit, and the Mourvèdre addition sharpens it further, contributing lightness and crunch where Grenache alone would go plush. Black cherry, raspberry, garrigue, black pepper, dried lavender, and a savory, faintly meaty edge from the Mourvèdre, with fine tannin and a long, dry, herb-inflected finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWill Arnold is an Englishman making wine across an unusually wide sweep of southeastern France, from the southern Beaujolais to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, working the same parcels year after year rather than chasing fruit around. Everything is whole-bunch and spontaneously fermented, aged in old wood or concrete, and bottled without filtration. Avant Midi was his first cuvée, made in 2020 as a tribute to his late grandfather, who in Arnold's words heroically opened a bottle of Côtes du Rhône most mornings before midday. The name is the joke and the wine is not: it is the most serious entry point into the range.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuilt for the table rather than the cellar. Grilled lamb chops with rosemary, a sausage and white bean cassoulet, ratatouille with crusty bread and goat cheese, or a plate of hard salami and olives. The fine tannin and dry finish handle fat and salt without fighting them, and the garrigue and pepper notes meet thyme, rosemary, and grilled vegetables directly. Serve it slightly cool, around 60 degrees, and open it about half an hour before you eat.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wine Down Selections","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51019649024223,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8090071.jpg?v=1786310850"},{"product_id":"domaine-charvin-chateauneuf-du-pape-2023","title":"Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery photograph of Châteauneuf-du-Pape shows the galets roulés, the big smooth river stones that hold the day's heat and push the wines toward power. Charvin's vineyards have essentially none of them. Laurent Charvin's eight hectares sit in the far northwestern corner of the appellation, out toward Orange, on sandy, north-facing ground. That is the coolest exposure in one of the warmest appellations in France, and sand behaves nothing like galets: it drains hard, holds no heat, and yields wines built on perfume and lift rather than density. The holdings run through the lieux-dits of Cabrières, L'Arnesque, and Le Devès, with vines averaging around 60 years old. This is the address that explains why Charvin tastes the way it does.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e82% Grenache with 5% Mourvèdre, 5% Syrah, 4% Counoise, and 4% Vaccarèse. Counoise and Vaccarèse are nearly extinct in the appellation and both are doing real work here, contributing acidity and a peppery, savory edge that keeps the Grenache from dominating. Fermented 100% whole bunch, then raised entirely in concrete for 18 to 21 months, fined, and bottled unfiltered. No barrel touches this wine at any stage, which is the second half of the house argument: concrete adds nothing, so what is in the glass is fruit, stems, and sand. Cassis, mulberry, dried lavender, menthol, black pepper, and garrigue, medium to full-bodied with velvety tannin and a long savory close. 2023 was a hot year in the southern Rhône, and the north-facing sandy sites are exactly what keeps this bottle fresh in a vintage like that.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Charvin family has been at this since 1851. Laurent Charvin, the sixth generation, took over in the early 1990s and immediately made three decisions that defined the estate: he converted all 28 hectares to organic farming, stopped destemming entirely, and got rid of the barrels in favor of concrete. None of those were fashionable choices at the time, and Châteauneuf in that era was moving hard in the opposite direction toward extraction and new oak. He has not changed course since, and the estate is now one of the reference points for what traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape actually means.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrenache with this much herb and pepper wants slow-cooked, herb-heavy food. Daube de boeuf with olives and orange peel is the regional answer and the right one. Also strong: roast leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic, braised oxtail with root vegetables, or grilled portobellos with thyme and aged goat cheese. The velvety tannin will not fight anything and the garrigue character in the wine meets rosemary, thyme, and juniper directly. Decant an hour, or lay it down; this will improve for a decade or more.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Doug Krenik Selections","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51190117761247,"sku":null,"price":85.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8110094.jpg?v=1786498014"},{"product_id":"two-shepherds-siletto-vineyard-grenache-2023","title":"Two Shepherds Siletto Vineyard Grenache 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSan Benito County is one of the least discussed serious growing regions in California, which is odd given that it sits directly on the San Andreas Fault and has limestone deposits that Chalone and Calera built entire reputations on. Siletto Family Vineyards farms inland near Hollister on sandy loam, well east of the Monterey Bay but still close enough that marine air pushes through the Pajaro gap in the afternoons. It is warm during the day and cold at night, and the sandy soils keep vigor low. Grenache planted in that combination of conditions ripens without bloating: color stays pale, alcohol stays moderate, and the aromatics stay in the red-fruit register rather than sliding into jam.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e100% Grenache Noir. Two Shepherds treats Grenache the way northern Rhone producers treat Syrah rather than the way Chateauneuf treats Grenache: whole clusters, native yeast, gentle extraction, neutral wood, and no attempt to build weight. The result is borderline rosato in color and yet fully structured, which is the trick with Grenache handled this way. Ripe strawberry, raspberry, white pepper, dried herbs, and a faint vanilla-bean note, with bright acidity and fine tannin holding it together through a dry finish. Around 12.5% alcohol. 2023 was a long, cool, late-ripening year across California following a very wet winter, with harvest running weeks behind normal and fruit coming in at lower sugars and higher acids than the preceding vintages.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo Shepherds began in 2010 when William Allen turned a home-winemaking habit into a commercial micro-winery built around Rhone varieties, at a point when California Grenache was mostly being made into something heavy. Karen Daenen came on as partner in 2015. The operation is small and hands-on: they farm their own organic Grenache and Grenache Gris block in Windsor themselves, and lease specific rows from family-owned growers elsewhere, writing the farming specs for those blocks and picking them on their own schedule. Grenache in all three colors is the core of what they do, and the Siletto bottling is among the most site-driven of them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePale and peppery calls for lighter, herb-driven cooking. Roast chicken with tarragon, grilled lamb kebabs with mint yogurt, a mushroom and leek pasta, or a plate of manchego and marcona almonds. The wine has enough acid to handle olive oil and enough structure to stand up to grilled meat without ever getting heavy about it. Serve it at cellar temperature, 55 to 60 degrees, which is where the white pepper and strawberry both show clearly.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LeDuc Wine Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51195288551647,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8150119_e3eb8bb1-e43f-40a3-804d-075a2d79c63a.jpg?v=1786842645"},{"product_id":"matassa-coume-de-lolla-rouge-2025","title":"Matassa Coume de l'Olla Rouge 2025","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost people hear Roussillon and picture something dark and 15 percent. Calce, tucked inland from Perpignan in the Agly Valley, runs colder than that reputation allows: the Tramontane wind comes off the Pyrenees relentlessly, stressing the vines, stalling ripening, and holding alcohol down in a place that on paper should have none of those things. Coume de l'Olla is a single vineyard planted on clay and limestone rather than the schist and black slate that dominate the rest of the Matassa holdings, and the difference shows in the glass as brightness rather than weight. The vines here are around 55 years old. This is the parcel that makes the case for Roussillon as a source of light red wine, not just powerful ones.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrenache Noir, Grenache Gris, and Macabeu, co-fermented rather than blended after the fact, which is why the wine reads as one thing rather than three. Fermentation happens in concrete with a short three-day maceration, then the wine is pressed and racked back into concrete to age. No oak, no fining, no filtration, no added sulfur. Three days on skins is barely any extraction at all, and that is the point: the color is pale, the tannin is minimal, and the fruit stays crunchy. Red currant, pomegranate, blood orange, dried thyme, and white pepper, finishing dry and saline. Serve it at cellar temperature or lightly chilled; it takes a chill better than most reds and gets clumsy warm.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMatassa is the work of Tom Lubbe, a New Zealander raised in South Africa who arrived in Calce for a harvest at Domaine Gauby and never left. He married Nathalie Gauby and started the estate in 2003, making the first vintage in their living room until Gerard Gauby, appalled, gave him the old Gauby cellar in 2004. Twenty hectares now, farmed certified organic across schist, marl, black slate, and black marl. Since 2015 no Matassa wine has received added sulfur at any point. Lubbe reads a book a week and thinks about soil more than technique, which is roughly the ratio the wines reflect.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLight, chilled, and savory, so treat it like a warm-weather red. Grilled merguez sausage with harissa and flatbread is a natural. So is a charcuterie plate with cornichons and mustard, roast pork loin with fennel and apple, or a mushroom and thyme galette. The low tannin means it will not fight vinegar or heat, and the pomegranate and white pepper notes lean into spiced meat rather than getting run over by it. Twenty minutes in the fridge before you open it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Natural","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51201253179615,"sku":null,"price":37.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8150103_4a82242d-1476-4e14-9726-791c7af72548.jpg?v=1786842622"},{"product_id":"clos-petite-bellane-cotes-du-rhone-villages-valreas-2000","title":"Clos Petite Bellane Cotes du Rhone Villages Valreas 2000","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eValréas is in the Vaucluse, but you cannot walk there from the Vaucluse. The town and its three neighbors form the Enclave des Papes, a detached exclave separated from the rest of the department by roughly 2.5 kilometers of Drôme on every side — the residue of fourteenth-century papal land purchases that began after John XXII tasted a Valréas wine in 1317 on his way to Avignon. The geography is not trivia. This is the northern edge of the southern Rhône and its coolest corner, with appellation vineyards averaging 245 meters and climbing to 532 at Mourre de Broche. Clos Petite Bellane sits at 410 meters on clay-limestone over the Vinsobres plateau, vines running between truffle woods and beehives, with the Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail on the horizon. Altitude is why these wines keep.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrenache and Syrah, the estate's standard pairing for its Valréas bottling, though the exact 2000 percentages are not on record. The vintage was a strong one in the south: picking started in late August under dry skies, and the fruit came in healthy, thick-skinned and high in tannin. The caution attached to 2000 from the beginning was acidity — many wines were built for fifteen years, not twenty-five. Valréas altitude is the argument for this one. At twenty-six years expect a garnet-to-tawny rim, dried plum and fig, leather, tobacco leaf, dried thyme, and a faint cedar edge, with tannin fully melted and the finish savory rather than fruity. Stand it upright overnight, decant off the sediment without swirling, and drink within the hour. Serve at 60 to 62 degrees. Storage history matters more than the vintage chart here.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe name on the label is worth getting right. Clos Petite Bellane was Olivier Peuchot's estate: he took over the vineyard around 1999 and was working roughly fifty hectares from a low, modern cellar tucked among trees in the middle of the vines. Peuchot's reds were the estate's calling card through the 2000s. In 2010 he sold the 48-hectare property to Stéphane Vedeau, who renamed it Clos Bellane, converted the farming to organic and earned Ecocert certification a few years later. This 2000 is entirely Peuchot's work, made a decade before any of that. It is a snapshot of the site before it became one of the reference addresses for cool-climate Côtes du Rhône Villages.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollow the estate's own truffle woods. Buttered pasta or soft polenta with shaved black truffle meets this wine on its tertiary, earthy register without asking anything of its tannin. Duck breast with a cherry or plum reduction picks up the dried stone fruit. A beef daube braised with orange peel and bay does the same in a heavier key. Roast chicken with wild mushrooms and thyme is the weeknight version. Open it on an evening when the cooking is the event.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wilkie Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51234979447007,"sku":null,"price":37.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8190150_7b2419e8-1884-4cae-8f86-a0e01cb8845d.jpg?v=1787200636"},{"product_id":"domaine-des-escaravailles-cotes-du-rhone-villages-rasteau-1997","title":"Domaine des Escaravailles Cotes du Rhone Villages Rasteau 1997","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Rasteau on this label is not the appellation you buy today. In 1997 Rasteau's dry reds were a named commune inside Côtes du Rhône Villages, a rank they had held since 1966, and INAO did not elevate them to a standalone cru until 2010. The only Rasteau appellation standing on its own at the time was the Vin Doux Naturel, recognized in 1944. The village sits on a hilltop at 200 meters, facing south toward the Dentelles de Montmirail and shielded from the worst of the Mistral. Escaravailles farms 40 hectares here on stony clay-limestone slopes, its parcels running from 260 to 340 meters, among the highest in the commune. Cold nights at that elevation delay ripening and hold acidity, which is why a bottle from 1997 is still worth opening.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrenache leads, as it does in every Rasteau red, filled out with Syrah and Mourvèdre; the exact 1997 blend was never published. The vintage matters here. 1997 ran cooler than average in the southern Rhône, and uneven flowering left ripening irregular, producing lighter, earlier-maturing wines than the decade's benchmarks. At twenty-nine years this is fully tertiary: a bricked garnet rim, dried cherry and fig, leather, tobacco, dried thyme and rosemary, orange peel, and tannin long since resolved into the fruit. Stand the bottle upright a full day, decant slowly off the sediment, and pour right away — a wine this old and this light-framed can fade inside half an hour. Serve at 60 to 62 degrees. Provenance decides everything with a bottle like this, and variation between corks is real.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJean-Louis Ferran founded the domaine in 1953 with his sons Daniel and Jean-Pierre, taking on a ruined hillside farmhouse with no electricity, no running water, and vineyards the monks had abandoned. The name comes from escaravay, the local dialect word for scarab: the Black Penitents of Avignon owned this land, appear in the Rasteau archives in 1623, and worked the rows in black robes that made them look like beetles from a distance. The beetle has been on the label ever since. This 1997 predates the current era — Daniel ran the estate then, Gilles took over in 1999, and his daughter Madeline joined the cellar in 2019. The family farms 40 hectares in Rasteau plus 25 across Cairanne, Roaix, Villedieu and Saint Roman de Malegarde, plowing rather than spraying and fertilizing organically.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMature Grenache wants slow cooking and savory depth, not char. A daube provençale with orange peel, black olives and thyme is the natural match: the wine's dried-fruit sweetness meets the braise, and its softened tannin will not fight the tomato's acidity. Roast leg of lamb studded with garlic and rosemary works on the garrigue register alone. Mushroom risotto finished with parmesan picks up the forest-floor side. For cheese, a two-year Comté, nothing washed-rind. This is a bottle for a Sunday with people who will notice what twenty-nine years did to it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wilkie Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51234979479775,"sku":null,"price":52.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8190153_9c42f0b2-19d8-4e6d-ae2e-eca9970d6080.jpg?v=1787200652"},{"product_id":"amevive-grenache-alisos-canyon-2025","title":"Âmevive Grenache Alisos Canyon 2025","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlisos Canyon is one of Santa Barbara County's newest and smallest appellations, approved in 2020 with just 238 acres of vines across 5,774 acres. It is an east-west canyon near Los Alamos, and that orientation matters: the San Antonio Creek Valley funnels marine wind and fog in from the Pacific, 25 miles away, so the canyon lands between the cool coast and the warm interior. Growers call it a Goldilocks zone for Rhône varieties. The soils are mostly Paso Robles Formation and Careaga Sandstone, high in calcium and quick to drain, with streaks of limestone. The fruit for this wine comes from Martian Ranch Vineyard on the southwest side of the canyon, a Demeter-certified biodynamic site. Calcium-rich ground and afternoon wind are what keep Grenache from Alisos Canyon bright rather than jammy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Âmevive Grenache Alisos Canyon 2025 comes from a block of massal-selection Grenache interplanted with several clones, a mix that Âmevive says takes to whole-cluster fermentation well. It was harvested on October 1, 2025, and fermented 100% whole cluster in two separate fermenters. After 21 days on skins, it was gently pressed and aged 10 months in neutral French oak, then a month in stainless steel, and bottled unfined and unfiltered in August 2026. It is 13.0% alcohol, and 145 cases were made. Santa Barbara County's 2025 season was cooler than normal with a long, calm harvest, which suits a low-alcohol Grenache. Âmevive calls it strongly aromatic with unusual red fruit; in past vintages this cuvée has shown red fruit punch, fresh cherry and crunchy stem spice over a light, fresh frame.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eÂmevive, French for \"living soul,\" was founded by Alice Anderson and Topher de Felice with the 2019 vintage. Anderson studied at Cal Poly, worked a vintage at Rippon in Central Otago in 2015, spent two years with Pierre Gaillard in the northern Rhône, then returned to California to work at Tyler, Tribute to Grace and Tatomer. Their base is the Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Los Olivos, an own-rooted site planted in 1971, which they farm regeneratively with sheep, chickens and ducks, compost and hedgerows. For wines like this one they buy from growers who farm the way they do, hence the biodynamic source here. The house style is neutral oak, no fining or filtration, and sulfur as the only addition, aiming for natural wine that still reads as classic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA light red with this much perfume wants to go on the table slightly chilled. Grill chicken thighs marinated in smoked paprika, garlic and lemon; the wine's acidity cuts the fat, and the spice from the stems meets the paprika. Pizza with fennel sausage and roasted red peppers works just as well. Try it with a Moroccan-spiced carrot and chickpea salad with mint and yogurt, where the red fruit plays off the cumin. Or keep it simple with a charcuterie board of saucisson, olives and Manchego. This is the red to open on a warm Denver evening when the grill is already going.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Craft","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51422091870431,"sku":null,"price":38.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P9180348.jpg?v=1789770360"},{"product_id":"amevive-blanc-de-noir-of-grenache-2024","title":"Amevive Blanc de Noir of Grenache 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlanc de noir usually points to Champagne. This one is Grenache, grown in Santa Barbara County, and it is sparkling, bottle-fermented and hand-disgorged in tiny volume. Âmevive's home is the Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Los Olivos, ten acres first planted in 1971 and farmed organically since 1993, one of the older sites in the Santa Ynez Valley. The Grenache for this cuvée comes off a certified organic block on the northwestern edge of the Alisos Canyon AVA, between the Santa Ynez and Santa Maria valleys. The block is planted entirely to the Alban clone of Grenache and faces west, which is unusual here and means the fruit takes the afternoon heat but also the marine air funneling in through the county's east-west mountain corridor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrenache goes to press whole and immediately, with no skin contact, so the juice runs out nearly colorless and the finished wine sits somewhere between pale straw and the faintest blush. First fermentation is native-yeast in neutral oak barrels, where the wine then spends a full year with no sulfur added. Rather than dosing with cane sugar for the second fermentation, Alice Anderson blends in a portion of fresh, unfermented juice from the following harvest to restart it in bottle, so the bubbles come entirely from grapes. The wine rests on tirage for roughly two months after going dry, then every bottle is disgorged by hand. Pear blossom, white peach, lemon curd and a kiss of brioche, with a light, dry frame and low alcohol. The 2024 Santa Barbara season followed record winter rain with a cold, damp spring, poor fruit set and historically low yields, and a Labor Day heat spike that stalled ripening rather than hurrying it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlice Anderson started in 2015 at Rippon in Central Otago, which she calls the pivotal year, then worked two vintages at Pierre Gaillard in the northern Rhône from 2015 to 2017. Back in California she passed through Tyler and Tribute to Grace before serving as assistant winemaker at Tatomer. She took over farming Ibarra-Young in 2019 and has pushed past organic practice into biodynamic composts and sprays, bringing animals into the vineyard and working to eliminate purchased inputs. In 2024 she added Mira Laguna, an eight-acre site farmed organically since it was planted. Âmevive is one of the clearest cases on the Central Coast that low-intervention winemaking and real farming rigor are the same project, not opposing ones.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLow in alcohol and bone dry, this is a wine you can drink through a whole meal. Fried chicken, brined and salted hard, is the first thing to try, since the bubbles and acid handle the fat. Oysters on the half shell with lemon play against the chalky side. Grilled sardines with olive oil and sea salt meet the saline, orchard-fruit character. And a plate of jamón with Marcona almonds nods to the grape's Spanish home. With only a handful of cases made, this is the bottle you open with the two or three people who will actually notice.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Craft","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67575130620127,"sku":null,"price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P9270421.jpg?v=1790548337"},{"product_id":"saint-damien-cotes-du-rhone-la-bouveau-2024","title":"Saint Damien Côtes-du-Rhône La Bouveau 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a Côtes-du-Rhône from a Gigondas estate, and the reason is geography rather than ambition. La Bouveau is a lieu-dit in the commune of Violès, on the flat ground below the Dentelles de Montmirail, where the clay and limestone parcels sit too close to the river to fall inside the Gigondas line. The soils are Quaternary river alluvium: deeper, cooler and more water-retentive than the stony terraces up the hill. Vines here do not struggle the way old Grenache does on the Gigondas slopes, so the wine comes out juicier and more fruit-driven, with less of the dense, sun-baked weight of its neighbor. The Mistral dries the canopy after rain, which is what makes organic farming on the valley floor workable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70% Syrah from young vines and 20% Grenache and 10% Cinsault from vines planted in 1954. That makes this a Syrah-led Côtes-du-Rhône, unusual in a southern Rhône dominated by Grenache. The two varieties are blended in the vat and macerated together for three weeks in concrete, then aged six months in the same concrete tanks and bottled without fining or filtration. No oak touches it. In past vintages the wine has shown blackberry, blueberry and black olive, with cracked pepper and violet from the Syrah and a silky, lifted texture from the old Cinsault; expect the same shape here. 2024 was a cooler, wetter season in the southern Rhône than the run of hot years before it, with mildew pressure and smaller crops, and the reds came in fresher and lower in alcohol. Medium-bodied, fine-grained tannins, a peppery finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Saurel family has farmed vines around Gigondas since 1821, and for most of that time sold the fruit to négociants. Joël Saurel began estate bottling in 1996, brought in consulting winemaker Philippe Cambie two years later, and turned Domaine Saint Damien into one of the reference names for traditional Gigondas, bottled by soil type and raised in concrete and large old foudres. His son Romain now runs the cellar. The domaine takes its name from a chapel to Saint Damien, an early Christian martyr and patron saint of doctors, in the hamlet of La Baumette outside Gigondas where the family lives. The vineyards have been certified organic since 2012.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeef chili with ancho and cumin, simmered long enough that the meat falls apart: the Syrah pepper meets the spice and the fresh fruit profile stays fresh against the chili. Pour it slightly cool, around 60 degrees. This is the red to keep a few of on the counter from October through March.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChili recipe on blog!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Doug Krenik Selections","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68030224072927,"sku":null,"price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/PA140500.jpg?v=1792028006"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/collections\/image_695b93fa-660a-4f45-9043-6827b5bf4629.jpg?v=1739381493","url":"https:\/\/danverwinemerchant.com\/collections\/grenache.oembed","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}