This wine has a touch of residual sugar but is nicely balanced with great acidity. It is lovingly named Monkey Wrench because it is a pain to make. They use only natural yeasts so it often has a stuck fermentation leaving a touch of sugar left. When there is enough acid and lively fruit to balance it out, they choose to let nature win and leave the wine as is.Aromas: floral, lemon, pear, spice, burst of juiciness on the palate.
Body: medium to full
Color: yellow
Monkey Wrench" Grenache Blanc: the fruit was sourced from the west side of Paso, tank-fermented, green apple and citrus aromas, crisp acidity with some mineral notes
From the Grape Crusader’s Blog: Tasting Notes: “What a lively and unique wine. I love aromatic whites like gewurztraminer, viognier and grenache blanc. I love them for their uplifting and entrancing smells and I especially love them for their ability to always make the uninitiated say “wow!” The Graves Monkey Wrench is no exception. Very pretty floral aromas that float out of the glass. I smelled a lot of citrus smells as well as a hint of ginger and pikake (Hawaiian climbing jasmine plant noted for its fragrant flowers). Historically, grenache blanc has been widely grown in Spain and France. Only a smidgen currently exists in California. In the mouth were flavors of tangerine and apple as well as some mineral influence. I felt like you never really noticed an obvious acidic component in the wine, but you just knew there was one, because of the refreshed feeling your palate received after every sip. The texture was beautiful too as it was sort of a combination of juicy and silky. “
Winery Background: “This is a true artisan family winery built from the ground up. In fact, Hilary was 5 months pregnant when the vines were first planted in 2002. A little over 1,000 cases spread across four or five wines are produced. If I remember right, Hilary and Simon Graves bought the land for their vineyards in 1999, while they were both still in school studying viticulture and enology. They are completely hands on when it comes to farming their vineyard, but hands-off when making their wine. Although their operations are not certified organic, they do farm organically.”
Eat with: fig & arugula salad, toasted pecans, “Laura Chenel” chèvre, pancetta, fig & port vinaigrette
http://www.graveswinegrowers.com/
