Many of my recent posts have been about various events that I
have been fortunate enough to attend. However, I recently discovered a wine I
was so impressed with that I had to share it with the world....okay, at least
share it with those of you that are smart enough to check in with WestToast for
all your wine, beer, and spirits needs.
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| Photo courtesy of Baiocchiwines.com |
If you weren’t aware, September 23rd was Grenache
Day. An international event that celebrates one of my favorite varietals and a
grape that is now starting to get the attention it deserves as a single
varietal wine. I went to fellow wine writer and Grenache lover William Allen’s
(www.simplehedonisms.com) farm to
celebrate this glorious occasion. William had arranged for several local
producers of Grenache to pour out of his greenhouse while we tasted through
their wines and tweeted ‘til our thumbs were sore with the hashtag #grenacheday.
There were many great wines being poured and it affirmed
that the people here are making some high caliber Rhone wines. However, my
winner of the night was someone doing their first public pouring, BaiocchiWines. Winemaker Greg Baiocchi was pouring his 2009 Entre Nous, a Grenache/Syrah
blend (90%Grenache 10% Syrah). This fruit-forward wine had a nose of beautiful
floral notes and flavors of red fruit throughout the finish. It was still a bit
young but the complexity it was already showing only means that this wine will
become something truly special with a bit of aging. The biggest surprise for me
was that Entre Nous has an alcohol content of 16.5% abv. Grenache is typically
a higher alcohol wine but when I tried this wine there is no way I would have
guessed 16.5%, because it sure didn’t taste like it. I think that just shows
how remarkable this wine is.
While drinkable now, it will be well worth the wait of
laying it down for even 6-12 months. Not only was the Entre Nous my personal
winner, but also the overall winner of the very scientific “Rank your Top 3”
voting system employed that night. Not bad for your first public pouring.
Greg was incredibly personal and I loved hearing his story
of starting out as a lover of wine just like all of us to producing these
handcrafted wines. An avid skydiver, Greg would trade skydiving adventures in
exchange for good wine. From there a passion was born and Greg and his wife
Sharon created Baiocchi Handcrafted Wines. I love Grenache and can’t wait to
see what Greg has in store for us in the future.
Cheers!
Jesse
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