Good Morning!

I received several texts on Sunday afternoon from a group of pals in Indianapolis, they sent me pics of the labels of the wines they were enjoying and after the 2nd bottle one of the texts ask what is a Grenache? Is it a blend? Will you make some? We love this stuff! It turns out that my friends were at a great restaurant called Mesh on Mass and the place has a really great wine list for folks who love California wines.

It seems they started out with a Sauvignon Blanc called Veladora and it is a very crisp Napa Valley SB made by Orin Swift winery. This group of wine lovers likes high alcohol and some real “weighty” wines. They know what they like and though they can not put their finger on why, they love a full, round mouth feel with a long finish. They love massive reds and they next moved on to The Prisoner, they love this big red blend and I found out this wine is also made by Orin Swift and they have a really sharp winemaker named Dave Phinney. The Prisoner is a blend of mostly Zinfandel from Napa Valley and a blend of Cab, Syrah, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Grenache ad Charbono grapes.

The Prisoner is really lighting up many a wine lovers’ glass and the long finish and velvety tannins really works well alone or can rock a meal with grilled meats and slow cooked meats. ( I would fire up the grill and throw on a tri tip while the wine opens up). So my pals finally call me when they opened up their 3rd bottle called D66 and it said Grenache on the back label, they figured texting was taking too long so why not just call me and ask me what I know about this D66 wine by Orin Swift cellars.

The first thing out of their mouth is what is Grenache? I said well, it’s a grape and it is kinda famous in the southern part of France and I know they grow some great grapes in California now too. They they said, Oh, I thought Grenache was a blend, I said no it’s a grape varietal and in France they like to blend it with Syrah and Viognier in Rhone, but I knew nothing about this D66 they were raving about. So I did a little checking, this wine comes from Maury, France, very close to the France and Spain border. The D66 is also made by Orin Swift winery. This area of France is an awesome area to grow grapes and they are doing some crazy blending of grapes.

One of the reasons I was taken back by the information about D66 and my friends love of the wine, was, they went to France last year and were not at all happy with the wines they tried…I know Huh? But in their defense, they were born and raised on big, fat, California Cabernet’s and French wine to them is lighter and also has a “funkiness” they do not enjoy. But when I said the wine was French, they were like no way! Yes, Way! But I found out this wine has a 15.2% alcohol and long finish and deep berries, I knew why they fell in love with this wine.

Again, I have learned much about the wine D66 and can not wait to try it for myself. I do love all of Dave Phinney’s wines. If you see some really awesome labels and great names like The Prisoner, Salado, Papillon, Abstract, Veladora, Mercury Head (This wine I have had and it is worth every penny of the $75.00 per bottle) and D66. Try them and tell me how they made you feel and of course how you liked them.

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi