2016 Dirt Vernacular Grenache

The label of the 2016 Dirt Venacular is based on a picture of a stone imbedded in another stone. The wine is composed of 78% Grenache, 11.5% Mourvèdre, 7% Touriga Nacional and 3.5% Petite Sirah, fermented using 43% whole cluster with the whole cluster mostly used on the Grenache component. The vineyard sources are 42% Eleven Confessions Estate, 25% The Third Twin Estate, 22% Cumulus Estate, 9% Bien Nacido and 2% Molly Aida Estate. It was aged for around 23 months in 38% new French oak, 53% used French oak and 9% concrete. Medium to deep garnet-purple, this Grenache beauty sashays out of the glass with stunning kirsch, black raspberry, stewed tea, red roses, Chinese five spice and redcurrant jelly notes with nuances of wild blueberries and candied violets plus enticing cardamom, chargrill and black pepper undertones. Full-on decadent and full-bodied, the palate is also so vivacious, possessing amazing freshness and velvety/fine-grained tannins, finishing with tons of floral and red fruit layers. Pure hedonism. 1,208 cases and 600 magnums were made.

The 2016 Grenache Dirt Vernacular wafts from the glass with heady aromas of kirsch, plums and Griotte cherries that mingle with nuances of sweet spice, rose petals and pepper. It saw 34% new oak (along with 53% used oak and 9% concrete), but it's hardly noticeable—much less so than in some of Sine Qua Non's debut Grenache bottlings. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, rich and chewy, with tangy acids despite its considerable power and ripeness, with a deep, layered mid-palate and a long, lusty finish. It's an eclectic blend of 78% Grenache, 11.5% Mourvedre, 7% Touriga Nacional and 2.5% Petite Sirah that was fermented with 43% whole cluster—whole cluster being largely reserved for the Grenache component. The blend is dominated by estate fruit, but some 9% came from the Krankl's blocks at Bien Nacido Vineyard that are farmed to their specifications. 1,208 cases and 600 magnums were produced. Aug 2018, www.robertparker.com