Sunday, May 15, 2016

From vA to aZ.

It seems that I'm on a mini wine tour of the 50 United States, well, if a paltry pair of states, Virginia and Arizona, can be considered a tour. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it is good to get out of Napa now and then, (wine-wise that is).  Except I didn't, Vinomaker did (a business trip to Arizona) and he brought back a bottle of Passion Cellars, 2013 Grenache, Cochise County. (My grandmother loved Jeff Chandler as Cochise in Broken Arrow, but I digress.)
I couldn't find out much about this wine as Passion Cellars don't provide much information on their website, but their description of the wine was spot on: "Strawberry aromas give way to subtle hints of vanilla and smoky herbal notes in this soft but complex Grenache."  For the most part I would agree with their tasting notes, except I would add that this wine (of very low colour extraction, really not much deeper hued than a rosé of Syrah perhaps), had a slightly medicinal quality that was a little off putting. And was possibly slightly oxidised.  And wasn't very complex. The wine fared a little better with food (a homemade sausage and pepperoni pizza), but, ultimately, this wine falls into the category of a one-glass-is-enough tipple.

4 comments:

Thomas said...

In what type of AZ climate is this produced?

About Last Weekend said...

Medicinal...no. It's like a candle that smells like toilet spray.

Vinogirl said...

Tomasso: On the website it says it is similar to Mendoza.

ALW: Ha! Wasn't quite that bad: stranger on the palate than to the nose :)

Thomas said...

A candle that smells like toilet spray! Hmm. Caustic, high pH, chlorine, none of which sounds inviting as a wine.