Jim Fore admits his Fore Family 2013 Grenache Blanc was a mistake.
Not the wine, mind you. An intense, complex and intriguing swirl of fruit, blooming meadow and rich soil, each sip of the straw-hued wine becomes a wonderful adventure. The error occurred sometime between the moment Fore picked out Grenache Noir vines and their delivery to his Cobb Mountain vineyard. Once he planted and the fruit started to show, Fore realized the nursery had sent a few white grape vines mixed in with the red.
Now he has a block devoted solely to Grenache Blanc.
“I took a mistake and made it part of the program,” Fore said with a laugh.
Open a bottle and you’ll understand why he saw opportunity. The wine opens with a floral blast. Take another breath and you descend into a stew pot of melon and white fruit then onto anise before bottoming out in musky pomace.
The absorbing aromas serve as a presage. The wine shows dense fruit and rustic meadow qualities on the palate, balanced by bracing acidity. All of this is trailed by a withdrawn yet still prickly spice that eventually gains enough momentum to serve as a counterpoint to the next sip.
This is a cleverly dispositioned wine. Where some allow the flavors to swirl into a wild cacophony, Fore Family’s 2013 Grenache Blanc seems to play upon command, the different notes woven, conducted, into something engaging, but not overpowering.
“I was trying to keep that fresh, crisp note,” Fore explained. “It’s definitely a wine most enjoyed outside.”
Fore casts it as an outdoor gathering wine, a glass to enjoy before the heartier savor of barbecued meats — and he may be right. Above all the complexity, all the structure from earth, spice and the rich smack of simmering fruit, his Grenache Blanc is also bright, showcasing fresh produce ranging from peach to green apple.
And it only gets better.
“We’re still learning,” Fore said, pointing out that his just released 2014 vintage is a step up from the 2013.
He expanded on the errant plantings because he considered Grenache Blanc a nice change of pace in a market glutted by Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. But the wine deserves much more than a niche.
“I was really nervous,” he said, referring to the moment this fortunate mistake hit the press, “but it came out beautifully.”
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
