Turkey Flat Grenache 2005

In Australia, Grenache is Robin to Shiraz’s Batman. Grenache plays wingman, while Shiraz picks up the curviest broad in the place. Shiraz does two-handed highlight reel slams, while Grenache gets rebounds in traffic. Shiraz is Luke Perry. Grenache is Brian Austin Green.

Grenache is an underappreciated grape in much of the world, and Australia is no different. In most cases, this blending or afterthought grape has trouble finding its voice, or any kind of accessibility with novice wine drinkers. But in this bottle, I found some very surprising and satisfying personality traits that take me back to the first time I had an eye opening Grenache.

When first opened, the nose is all black pepper with a woody, creamy bouquet. There are subtle notes of herbs and a full whiff of lavender aroma that reminds me of my mother’s garden. The woman couldn’t cook to save her life (or ours), but there were always rows of home grown herbs in our small 5 foot by 10 foot plot of land behind our row home. After a few minutes in the glass, the pepper settles a bit and more of the earthy scent pushes through. I found this quite interesting because most Australian wines do everything they can to hide the terroir from the drinker. They do so because Americans (the largest purchaser of exported Aussie wine) like sweeter, fruitier wines. Here, the vintner let the earth speak to us, and created a much more complex wine than I was anticipating.

The attack is all black fruits (blackberry, black raspberry) and cedar, with some chocolate and a supremely peppery wash. It’s a plush wine on the tongue, with medium to heavy mouth feel. The finish is an organized package of soft knit tannins that are in excellent balance with the front end of the wine.

The wine is still quite young, and you can do a little experiment here to see what I mean. As soon as you open the bottle, pour out enough to just fill your glass up to the curve. Give it a good swirl a few times and breathe in the nose. Give it a quick taste. Your salivary glands will spring to life to deal with the bright acidity and almost vibrate in your mouth. Now, pour out another glass but let it sit for 20-30 minutes and see how soft the wine has become. The acidity has evened out and the flavor profile has changed.

Turkey Flat only exported 400 cases of this wine in the world. Somehow, our own PLCB snapped up a good chunk of that. You will notice that the wine has a screw top, which is known as a Stelvin Enclosure. Do not think this puts it in the same category as Mad Dog. Many top wines from Australia have the screw top. People are finding that this technology allows for better consistency during cellaring.

A little pricier than others I have reviewed, this bottle rings in at $20.99. For this quality and short production, it should be priced around $30-$40. I like this wine because of its value and complexity. I also like this bottle because it gives drinkers a chance to see someone coax good things from the second-fiddle grape in a very important wine growing region.

I picked up this bottle in one of the premium stores in a display, but you might also find it in the Australian section. I have seen it listed in the 12th Street, 5th street, 19th Street, and Columbus Circle stores in the city. I have also seen it listed in the ‘burbs all over, especially Ardmore, Villanova, and Bryn Mawr. You can also buy it directly from PAWineandSpirits.com. The PLCB code is 027122.

Collin Flatt is a former Beer Pong champ turned oenophile. Collin Flatt spends his tax refunds on wine. Collin Flatt has his Bachelor’s Degree in drinking and is getting his Master’s Degree in winemaking. Collin Flatt is working on an Arctice Splash Cuvee. Collin Flatt writes about wine for Phoodie.info.

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