INSIDER'S PICK: 2023 THISTLEDOWN GRENACHE BLANC SOUTH AUSTRALIA 'GORGEOUS' $18.99

The Grenache Blanc grape has long been a workhorse white wine grape in Southern France and along the Mediterranean, made most famous by its featured use in White Chateauneuf-du-Pape but quite present throughout the warmer growing regions. In its original growing areas, the plantings have reduced some in recent years, losing ground to increased red grape demand and yield issues that tends to be easier to be easier for bulk production. In that same time Grenache Blanc has been on the rise in the New World areas that have earned fame for doing well with other Rhone varieties, such as California, Washington, South Africa, and of course Australia. The winemakers in these regions have also helped the grape buck its long-standing reputation for making low acidity, 'fat' wines that need to be blended with high acidity grapes; with freshness and lower alcohol becoming more emphasized, picking Grenache Blanc early can make fantastic offerings like this one all on its own. Lovely peach and white flower aromas right from the start, but also with a hint of lime and minty coolness, especially when first out of the fridge, never heady or overtly tropical. The palate is equal parts round and vibrant, loads of white fruits and crunchy pear at first that gets more green apple-y the longer it sits in your mouth, finishing quite bright and zesty with a light green apple skin tannin note. A great wine to have on hand for seafood or lighter white meat dishes that need a wine with some body, or whenever Spring decides to roll into town for us.

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