Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1011938
100 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018 Cult Grenache producer Joey Tensley of Tensley Wines in Los Olivos, California, poured his 2013 Colson Canyon Vineyard Grenache. When tasted side by side with Boutenac producer Château Ollieux- Romanis' 2013 Atal Sia, these two wines showed they have more in common than not with dark plum, pepper, licorice, and exotic spices galore. Stellar French examples included the Château Puech-Haut 2014 Prestige Rouge from 80-year-old vines in the Saint- Drézéry AOP, the Famille Perrin 2015 Do - maine du Clos des Tourelles Gigondas, and Domaine des Gravennes' unoaked Côtes du Rhône, which supports Ballesteros Torres' belief that "Châteauneuf-du-Pape [producers] are the real heroes of the variety because they allow oxygen during fermentation." A "Chameleon" Grape The focus of the afternoon session shifted from production to sales and consumer perception as moderator and Master Sommelier Peter Granoff of Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant put a panel of produc - ers, retailers, and wine directors through their paces. SommFoundation's Jay James, MS; Gilian Handelman of Jackson Family Wines; Wine Director Haley Guild Moore of Stock & Bones Company; and Stevie Stacionis of retailer Bay Grape joined Ball - esteros Torres and Kemiji, who rounded out the session. To help consumers discover the variety, Stacionis regularly navigates her clientele from lighter to heavier styles and steers her Pinot Noir and Syrah fans to other wines they'll enjoy. "Grenache is a chame - leon," added Moore, who sees the grape as less varietal-centric, making it easier for consumers to enjoy it as part of a blend. As demonstrated by three wines tasted by the panel, serious efforts are underway to preserve Spain's old-vine Garnacha. Both independent pro - ducers and cooperatives alike are paying growers the same amount to farm extremely-low-yielding old vines as they do for farming higher-yielding sites, opting for a "real-world" compensation approach that aims to ensure a solid future for the vines and their wines. Attendees tasted wines of old-vine Spanish fruit from Bodegas San Valero, which produces a lighter-bodied umami- and red fruit–driven wine, and Bodegas Paniza, which shows spicy red fruit and more apparent oak. "These are some of the first results of an ongoing process," said Bodegas San Valero General Manager Pedro Fatas. In speaking to the less-extracted wine styles, Granoff pointed out the sweet/tart marker as a hallmark of typicity for the variety. This characteristic was noted in several of the wines tasted in the second flight, among them the 250-milliliter Ah-So canned rosé from Navarra, Spain. The sole Grenache Blanc in the lineup, a 2016 Tablas Creek, found a fan in Moore, who enjoyed its firm structure and found it par ticularly suited to Panelists for the afternoon "Garnacha Rising" seminar included (from left to right) Gilian Handelman of Jackson Family Wines; moderator Peter Granoff, MS, of Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant; Jay James, MS, SommFoundation Chairman; Haley Moore, Wine Director at San Francisco's Stock & Bones Company; Pedro Ballesteros Torres, MW; Stevie Stacionis of retailer Bay Grape in Oakland, CA; and Emmanuel Kemiji, MS, owner of Miura Vineyards and Managing Director at Clos Pissarra.