Monday, May 25, 2009

2006 Consilience Grenache Blanc, Santa Barbara

Consilience winery has been making wine since 1997, but was formally founded in 1999. They have been making wines "loosely focused around the typical Rhône varietals" (most of which are sourced from the Fess Parker estate) ever since. Their winemaking philosophy is to create wine with distinct expression of regional characteristics. Brett Escalera is the winemaker from Consilience. He brings experience from his ongoing tenure at Fess Parker Winery where he has been making wine since 1996. His position at Fess Parker's Winery also allows Consilience to source much of its fruit from that estate.
Winemaker’s Comments: Grenache Blanc is the white berried form of Grenache, and also has its origins in the northeast of Spain where it is found in the blends from the Rioja.

Aromas: Rich mouthfeel with minerality, white peach, pear, and melon. Excellent acidity.
Body: medium to full
Color: golden yellow

From their website: Nestled among boutique shops & restaurants, the Consilience tasting room is located on Grand Avenue in the wine country town of Los Olivos, California. The philosophy at Consilience has been to not only create expressive, reliably high quality wines, but also to put that wine in the bottle for a reasonable price that is far below what comparable quality wines would cost.

This vibrant 2006 vintage of our Grenache Blanc is predominantly from the Camp 4 vineyard in Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley. Camp 4 is the newest addition to the Fess Parker family of vineyards. Located in the Santa Ynez Valley it is just southwest of he winery. The 1,400-acre piece of land was purchased in 1999 and the initial planting of 250 acres produced its first crop 2003. This vineyard experiences a warmer climate. Camp 4 is currently planted to 25 acres of Grenache, 10 acres of Mourvedre, 15 acres of Roussanne, 130 acres of Syrah and 25 acres of Viognier.

The cycle of cool mornings, warm days and return to cool evenings are what make this a prime growing area for the typical Rhone grape varieties. All factors make for a long growing season and maximal flavor development. Barrel fermented in older French and American oak, this Grenache Blanc proudly exhibits well rounded aromatics of caramel apple with that fresh from the orchard scent and crispness on the palate.

Eat with: quiche Lorraine, green salad, matchstick frites.

http://www.consiliencewines.com/