Lot 582 | 2023 Monterey County Grenache 750ml

***BOTTLING EARLY DECEMBER, SHIPPING SHORTLY AFTER*** After this list quickly snatched up our most recent Grenache acquisition, we realized there’s a serious appetite among our readers for this southern Rhône varietal. Maybe it’s because this rare grape accounts for less than 1% of California’s wine production, or because so many of you are fans of high-end Châteauneuf-du-Pape reds (whose dominant flavor signature comes overwhelmingly from Grenache). Whatever your reason, we’ve been hunting for the next worthy candidate – not exactly an easy task, with single varietal bottlings so few and far between. However, as we wrapped up our recent expedition to the Santa Cruz Mountains, we were tipped off to something special even further south. We headed down Highway 1 and turned inland at Monterey Bay, soon finding ourselves gathered in a cellar tasting one of California’s top Grenaches – a delicious bottling reminiscent of a baby Beaucastel. Unlike it’s Châteauneuf cousin, this California gem won’t run you anywhere close to triple digits. Lot 582 is a single-vineyard 100% Grenache from one of the region’s premier sites that is arguably the spot in Monterey for this varietal, and our source is one of a handful of wineries with access. Only producing a bottling in exceptional years, these exclusive releases have regularly garnered scores in the 90s from major critics, and the 2023s will undoubtedly follow in the same footsteps. Press coverage and critical acclaim is no guarantee of sales, though – the region has been feeling the market headwinds just as severely as the North Coast, and even the finest wines aren’t immune to the macroeconomic shifts in demand. This is obviously where we come in – we eagerly took some surplus off their hands. Our price: $22/bottle! Grenache is a very rare planting in Monterey County – only a handful of microclimates offer an ideal balance of sun-drenched afternoons and cool ocean winds. Much like the chilly Mistral of the Rhône Valley, a relentless wind off Monterey Bay slows ripening and thickens skins for added concentration. Well-draining soils lead to low yields. Farmed and harvested by hand, the fruit underwent partial whole-cluster fermentation for added structure – another common technique used by high-end Châteauneuf producers. Aging took place in French oak barrels of the finest cooperage to add plenty of refinement to its impeccable terroir. Pouring a luminous, translucent ruby in the glass, the bouquet opens with an aromatic interplay of ripe, spiced strawberry, pressed plum, and dried herbs, kissed by white pepper and fresh-shaved cinnamon. On the palate, strawberry sauce and dark cherries are bolstered by potting soil and new leather in a dry and deftly structured presentation, finished with small, grippy tannins. A long, resonant finish of red fruit tones gradually yields to vanilla bean and barrel spice – lovely final touches to this marriage of coastal freshness and Rhône-like depth. 14.5% alc