Grenache Blanc from Priest Ranch in Napa Valley.
Summer has here, the temperatures are increasing, and we’re eating lighter meals to keep cool. We’re cooking and trying to stay as cool as possible. It is more probable that we will have white wines on our dinner table at this time of the year, and Grenache Blanc is a delightful option to serve with meals or to sip on before supper.
Priest Ranch Grenache Blanc is a Napa Valley Grenache Blanc that isn’t the most popular of selections, but it is one that you will like drinking. This wine was sent to us as a tasting sample.
A non-profit group committed to the promotion of American Rhone varietal wines has said that California’s Tablas Creek Vineyard was the first to bring Grenache Blanc to the state in 1992, according to the Rhone Rangers.
California’s Central Coast is home to the majority of the state’s agricultural land, which is concentrated in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Grenache Blanc vineyards may be found in California’s North Coast and in the Sierra Foothills, among other places.
According to the California Grape Acreage Report 2020 Crop, the total acreage of Grenache Blanc planted in California is 620 acres, which is not a large planting, with just 7 acres planted in Napa Valley, according to the California Grape Acreage Report (District 4.)
Priest Ranch is named after Joshua James Priest, a gold prospector who arrived in California during the California Gold Rush in 1849. In 1869, he acquired 660 acres in the Vaca Mountains, east of St. Helena, for $1,500.
The property was a part of the Rancho Catacula, which included 8546 acres and was granted to Joseph Chiles in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena. Prior to then, various Native American cultures had resided in and around the Napa Valley for more than 10,000 years.
It was acquired in 2004 for 660 acres, and a few years later, it was united with a neighboring 995-acre property known as Elder Valley to form the Priest Ranch. The Somerston Estate is currently comprised of the two estates previously mentioned.
Only 230 acres of the 1,682-acre estate are planted to vines on 15 unique locations, resulting in approximately 180 different varietal blocks. The estate has a total planting area of 1,682 acres. In addition to Priest Ranch and Somerston Estate, which are single-block wines, the estate produces two more varieties of wine.
Unfortunately, this lovely wild estate has found itself in the path of many disastrous wildfires in recent years, making it even more tragic.
Because of the fires in 2017, and again in 2020, no wines were produced. Both Somerston Estate and Priest Ranch wines are produced with the highest level of quality in mind.
Napa Valley Grenache Blanc, 2019 Priest Ranch Grenache Blanc
In the Napa Valley, the 2019 Priest Ranch Grenache Blanc is light yellow in color with ample notes of yellow peach and honeysuckle. Ripe pears, honeysuckle, oat hay, citrus zest, and a noticeable acidity are among the notes found in this wine.
There is a lot of depth to the flavor profile, and the wine has a lot of weight on the tongue with a lengthy finish. SRP is $22 for 14.1 percent abv.
This Grenache Blanc has a superb flavor profile, as well as richness and body, which makes it a wonderful sipping wine on its own, but it’s also excellent with food.
The Grenache Blanc grapes were collected from blocks 6 and 7, a 4.9-acre property cultivated at an elevation of 1250 feet above mean sea level.
The wine was fermented in stainless steel drums and tanks with natural yeast. It was bottled after fermentation. Before bottling, it was allowed to rest for five months on the lees with regular stirring. The wine is offered in two sizes: 750ml bottles and 375ml aluminum cans (6-packs.)
Thank you to Priest Ranch and Jarvis Communications for the exquisite Priest Ranch wines that served as an introduction to the brand. We are hoping that the vintage of 2021 will be a triumph!
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