Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

Wine:Abacela Vineyards and Winery 2005 Grenache, Estate Grown (Southern Oregon)

Abacela Vineyards and Winery

2005 Grenache, Estate Grown
(Southern Oregon)



In his ten years of producing wines at his Abacela winery, Earl Jones has become an influential leader in Oregon’s wine world, and a harbinger of Southern Oregon’s viticultural maturity. If you need an example of what this means, seek this wine.

Richly hued with an unusually deep garnet color, this Grenache makes an impressive statement even before you sniff or sip. Wafting from the glass are a mélange of appealing scents: crushed raspberries, warm pie crust, dried sage, white pepper—to get plenty of pleasure from this wine all you have to do is simply sit and smell it!

In the mouth, the wine presents oodles of fresh crushed red berry flavors, with swirls of darker blackberry and even cassis notes. The fruity center is framed by tones of warm toast, dried spices, and hints of dark cocoa. The structure is vibrant and assertive, with crisp acidity and plush tannins combining to give the fruit a compelling animation—the flavors fairly dance on the palate!

There is not a lot of Grenache grown in Oregon. Abacela has been an early pioneer of the varietal in the state, and this release marks an exciting high point in the quality of Oregon Grenache wines. A somewhat cooler 2005 produced very ripe fruit, and winemaker Kiley Evans decided to keep the wine for ten months in neutral French oak puncheons in order to preserve the focus of fruit the vintage delivered. Good decision, Kiley! (249 cases produced.)

Reviewed April 26, 2007 by Cole Danehower.

The Wine

Winery: Abacela Vineyards and Winery
Vineyard: Estate Grown
Vintage: 2005
Wine: Grenache
Appellation: Southern Oregon
Grape: Grenache
Price: 750ml $24.00

Review Date: 4/26/2007

The Reviewer

Cole Danehower

Cole Danehower is the creator of the Oregon Wine Report. A frequent judge and a member of Northwest Palate magazine’s review panel, Cole's palate is particularly attuned to Northwest wines. He believes numerical scoring is inadequate in conveying the character of a wine, preferring to communicate his experience and evaluation of a wine through words. A believer in terroir (especially in Oregon's cooler growing regions) he also pays attention to the impact of winemaking style and vintage variation on a wine. He views balance, flavor purity, and a sense of character as key vinous virtues.