Birichino Grenache Besson Vineyard 2016

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ - Ekstra Bladet

★★★★ - Berlingske

Grenache from over 100 year old canes!

The wine is made with Grenache from the Besson vineyard, owned by George Besson Jr., whom Alex and John from Birichino have known and worked with for over 20 years. It is a very special vineyard, having been planted with Grenache back in 1910 and purchased by George's grandfather in 1930.

The vineyard is only 5 hectares, so the yield is also very limited on these ungrafted, century-old vines, which are not artificially irrigated. The rocky slope on which the vines grow is just below the altitude limit for classification in the AVA Santa Cruz Mountains and must therefore make do with the more modest AVA Central Coast.

The wine is fermented with partially whole bunches and the addition of a small portion of Grenache grapes, which have been dried for 8 days in the small boxes used during the harvest. The inspiration was taken from Barolo producer Armando Parusso, who practices this short “apassimento” process for his grapes. This adds nuances of wild peaches and herbs to the wine. Fermentation takes place with the grapes’ own yeast cells. After maturing for about 10 months in neutral wooden barrels, the different barrels are stacked and the wine is bottled without filtration.

The label was designed by a Swedish encyclopedist who, in the 16th century, depicted the Californian coast and “captured” the landscape and the influence of the sun in the area in an impressive way.

Grenache Besson Old Vines is light in color. The wine has a fantastic freshness and finesse for a Grenache in the aroma with complex tones of cherry, raspberry and rosehip. In the taste the wine has a good crispness and an almost cool style, which matches the fruit sweetness very well and gives a good balance to the wine. The aftertaste is very full and slightly spicy, with good tannin. The wine gives off a lot in its youth but will undoubtedly be able to mature for 4-5 years.