Martian Ranch Grenache Blanc 2012

I really enjoy living vicariously through my friends, especially when they vacation in California wine country, a trip I simply cannot afford to make right now. One of my friends, Kye, managed to make it out to Santa Barbara a couple of months ago and since he absolutely adores me (and I laid a major guilt trip on him), he brought me back some rather awesome souvenirs. I’m sure it’s no surprise that ‘Sideways’ is a film that’s very near and dear to both our hearts, so my favorite present was the napkin he snagged after eating at The Hitching Post:

Of course the wines Kye brought back were fantastic as well, especially the Martian Ranch Grenache Blanc:

Martian Ranch is located in Los Alamos California, owned and run by Nan Helgeland, who is dedicated to making Rhone varietal wines with little manipulation. She is also the wife of writer/producer Brian Helgeland (‘L.A. Confidential’ is right up there with ‘Sideways’ for both of us) and while that association may have been why Kye chose to stop at Martian, Nan and her wines are the reasons he fell head over heels for it. After tasting a few of the wines brought back from there I can totally understand why. If I’d gotten to try them while surrounded by the beautiful scenery in which they were created, I’d be enthralled too.

I’d been listening to Kye rave about Martian Ranch for at least a week so when their Grenache Blanc was one of the three wines he brought me back it wasn’t too hard to decide what to open first. I’ve never found this varietal to be overly complex, but this wine created elegance out of simplicity. Tropical fruits, citrus and almonds on the nose, with bright pineapple, lemon peel, passion fruit and lemongrass flavors coming through on the palate. Crisp acidity and subtle minerality led to a refreshing, yet short finish that made me wish I had more than one bottle of it.

Menguante Garnacha Blanca 2009

I don’t have a whole ton of friends, but the ones I do have are as close (if not closer than) family to me. I have no problem with that, I prefer having few close friends, who I can count on no matter what, to having several fair-weather ones I can’t rely on. Of course most of these friends are spread out all over this state (and Louisiana) at the moment, not surprising considering how badly we all wanted out of this city after High School... I'm just the only one so far to return. That just means I appreciate the times they get suckered into coming back to SA all the more and the last time it happened I celebrated by picking up Menguante Garnacha Blanca 2009 from Specs (totally blanking on the price, but will fix that shortly).

I’m not really sure why Grenache Blanc intrigues me so much (in blends or as 100% varietals), but I’m not complaining, it usually works out well for me. So far Spain and South Africa have impressed me the most with their wines made with Grenache Blanc, but a lot of that is due to the fact that you don’t see this varietal so often elsewhere.

This one was ripe with flavors of baked pear, orange peel, dried apricot and lemon zest. There was a bit of oiliness that reminded of the one (and only) Condrieu I’ve ever had. This was balanced out with crisp acidity and bright floral notes that led to a creamy, honey-butterish finish. Really glad I took a chance with this wine and even happier that I got to share it with good people (especially since those seem hard to find these days).

Barranc dels Closos Blanc 2010

I hope most people have experienced the thrill of glancing at their phone and seeing a call/text from a certain person that just makes them grin like an idiot. It’s a nice feeling, one that makes you feel warm and fuzzy (and sometimes just a slight bit apprehensive since you’re not sure what it will bring), but no matter what, just seeing that call (or text) always makes you smile. That is the same feeling I get whenever I’m adventurous in my wine buying and it pays off. At least that is the best way to describe the feeling that envelopes me when I take that first sip and find utter beauty.

Of course that doesn't happen all the time, I have regretted taking on new wines before... which is probably why I cherish the ones that don’t let me down so very much. Tonight’s wine is one of them: Mas Igneus Barranc dels Closos Blanc 2010, a white wine from Priorat, Spain. (Found at Specs, but since they were discontinuing it and I bought the last couple bottles on the shelf, I honestly could not tell you where to find it anymore in SA… but if you do stumble upon it please let me know!)

The 2010 vintage is a blend of 50% Garnatxa Blanca, 30% Macabeu, 17% Pedro Ximenez and 3% Muscat. The muted intensity and dried fruit aromas masked a very complex and lovely palate. Lemon zest, orange peel, white peach and a hint of coconut were in the forefront, followed by notes of toasted almonds, beeswax, honey and wet limestone. It was reminiscent of sherry with the nutty, floral flavors but it didn’t have the same intensity. I loved it, thought it was super gorgeous. Definitely a wine I’d be happy to see on my call log anytime.

The Wolftrap White 2012

Last summer I became quite enamored with South African blends. I think it all started when I picked up a bottle of Goats Do Roam White from work mainly because I thought the name was very clever and it was under $10.  After that I started looking for other wines from South Africa and found that most of the white blends I tried were quite lovely, but the absolute best was Wolftrap White.

The 2012 is a blend of 60% Viognier, 21% Chenin Blanc, and 19% Grenache Blanc. Refreshing, medium-bodied bursting with floral notes of honeysuckle and orange blossom coupled with flavors of green apple, lime zest and melon. Crisp minerality and bright acidity are balanced by a hint creaminess which leads to a rich, lingering finish.

The Wolftrap Red is also worth trying, though it’s a bit too heavy for me during hot weather. It’s mostly Syrah and Mouvedre with a tiny amount of Viognier (2%) added to soften the wine a bit. I’m Still hoping to track down their Rosé one of these days, but so far no luck with that.

Celler Piñol Portal Blanco 2011 and 2012

I randomly decided to buy two different vintages (with two different varietal blends) of the same wine from Terra Alta in Catalunya's Tarragona province located in northeastern Spain. Mainly I was curious to see how the two differed, if at all, thought it would be a fun experiment.

2011: 70% Garnacha Blanca, 20% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Viognier and 5% Macabeo
-Stone fruit flavors (grapefruit, white peach and nectarine) and lemon zest with hints of wet limestone, jasmine, and chamomile. Medium acidity and a tinge of oiliness lead to a medium finish. Very crisp and refreshing, will be awesome for those miserable summer days that are coming our way.

2012: According to the label it’s 100% Garnacha Blanca, but their website has the blend as 85% Garnacha Blanca, 5% Sauv Blanc, 5% Viognier and 5% Macabeo, so we’re just going to assume that the website is right (and after tasting it I’m even more convinced that it’s not 100%)
 -Apricot, white peach, orange peel and lime followed by hints of fresh herbs, candied ginger, beeswax and wet grass. Medium-plus acidity leads into a crisp and slightly bitter finish. Definitely has more complexity than the ’11, but not quite as balanced.

In conclusion: both vintages were crisp and refreshing, perfect for summer. Between the two the ’11 was definitely more balanced, and though not quite as interesting as ’12, would probably be the more appealing palate-wise of the two. Really wish the ’12 had been 100% Garnacha Blanca, but that’s what I get for not researching these sorts of things before buying, oh well.