Educational Range: Grenache 2007

Grenache 2007 - Piekenierskloof 100% Grenache from Piekenierskloof. My personal favourite, lower in alcohol and the most RUSTIC of them all.

The Story:

This is a Limited production of 600 bottles. The grapes for this wine is from Piekenierskloof, Citrusdal. Grenache, as a grape variety, hails from ancient Spain. The cultivar is used mainly as a blending component in wines and you rarely find the cultivar used as a single varietal. You will however find that premium wines in areas like Châteauneuf-du-Pape in Southern France mainly consists of Grenache. If you would like to have more information on the Grenache grape, click here. You can also go to Wikipedia.

THE EDUCATIONAL RANGE: In August 2009, I released a wine called The Spaniard. The Spaniard is a blend of 42% Mourvèdre, 24% Carignan, 24% Grenache and 10% Cinsaut. An unique wine, which I personally feel was a breakthrough for BLANKbottle in terms of innovation. After the first bottling I had enough wine left in barrel for a second bottling. I then had a choice: I could either bottle a second batch along the same lines as the first Spaniard or I could go for something very different. Against my own personal preference I decided to bottle them all as single varietals. In my opinion, each of the components is exceptional and of the best expression of that specific cultivar that I've tasted . Besides that, I know it'll get you talking! So I've bottled each of the cultivars separately, by hand straight from barrel, unfiltered and unfined. I ended up with four very limited batches of wine I now call: the Educational Range, parts 1 - 4. Initially my plan was to expose you to and teach you the differences in each of these eccentric varietals. Now, after six months in bottle, these wines have matured and grown into four spectacular wines in their own right. I know that the whole is supposed to be better than the sum of the parts, but trust me in this case: each part is spectacular - The Carignan, Mourvèdre, Grenache and the Cinsaut.