Lot 582
2023 Monterey County Grenache

Around $50/bottle under the original label

Lot 582 is one of California’s top Grenaches – a delicious bottling reminiscent of a baby Beaucastel. A single-vineyard 100% Grenache from one of the region’s premier sites that is arguably the spot in Monterey for this varietal, and our source is one of a handful of wineries with access. Only producing a bottling in exceptional years, these exclusive releases have regularly garnered scores in the 90s from major critics, and the 2023s will undoubtedly follow in the same footsteps.

Pouring a luminous, translucent ruby in the glass, the bouquet opens with an aromatic interplay of ripe, spiced strawberry, pressed plum, and dried herbs, kissed by white pepper and fresh-shaved cinnamon. On the palate, strawberry sauce and dark cherries are bolstered by potting soil and new leather in a dry and deftly structured presentation, finished with small, grippy tannins. A long, resonant finish of red fruit tones gradually yields to vanilla bean and barrel spice – lovely final touches to this marriage of coastal freshness and Rhône-like depth.