Grenache Edna Valley Estate Vineyard

Some of you may know that I have long been a big fan and lover of Grenache. No other grape variety allows talented, dedicated winemakers to produce wines that literally seem to have two hearts beating within them. Perhaps it's not so much two hearts, when I think about it, but rather two personalities. Yes, two personalities. On the one hand, there's the guy who flexes his muscles, a bit like the guys at Venice Beach, or rather Muscle Beach; and on the other, I always imagine a sumo wrestler dancing on tiptoes like a prima ballerina – the tutu is optional – across the palate. Matthew Luczy, the new guy at Parker, characterizes this wine in a similar way and has nothing but praise for it, which I take as a huge compliment, even though I don't really pay much attention to these critics anymore, even though I always read what they have to say.

This wine smells heavenly of red fruits, herbs, and dried flowers – it actually seems to have absorbed the fauna of Orcutt Road and reproduces the aromas of the former in crystal-clear form. Wonderful. The palate is also extremely impressive, not because the wine has muscle, but rather because I am fascinated by the fact that the wine's energy almost neutralizes its own muscle, its own power. The result is something elegant. And yes, my friends Axel and Ruffino proved a quarter of a century ago that this wine flows well when they leisurely emptied a bottle of Grenache while I took the goose out of the oven and carved it – and even though I was quick, they were just faster because the wine is simply so sensationally good. So, what are you waiting for?