2003 GRENACHE PURISIMA MOUNTAIN
Santa
Barbara County
There is something about
grenache that is truly compelling, and in some way it reminds
me of pinot noir. Like pinot, the color is ruby, not dark. And,
like pinot, the point of the wine is exotic aromatics, zesty flavors
and copious fine tannins, not syrupy richness. And also like pinot,
the best examples are usually the product of extremely low yields.
The flowering of the grenache
at Beckman's Purisima Mountain Vineyard went horribly in the spring
of 2003, so the grapes for this wine yielded a tiny one half ton
per acre. The clusters, if you could call them that, had hardly
15 berries each, so they looked like a mass of stems dotted with
a few berries. I had my doubts that we could make anything of
quality from them; however, the wine turned out spectacularly
well. Brimming with the aromas of raspberries and possessing a
savory palate impression that just doesn't quit, this wine has
a personality that is irresistible.