Joe’s and Australian wine have always had their differences. Words such as “fruit bomb” & “syrup” have been used perhaps too hastily. This week marks a great victory for the Aussie front! Bitch has arrived. The market is saturated with jokes about the name so I will restrain myself & instead note the uniqueness of this infamous Grenache. 2007 was an extremely hard year for Australia. Heat waves destroyed many a vineyard & so much affected overall output that Australian producers have been thrown into economic crisis. That’s the bad news. The good news is what happened to this little $12.99 Grenache under the strain of the 2007 vintage. Instead of another cumbersome, over-ripened ink ball, Bitch immediately shows something different when if pours a light rosey color, very transparent almost like a Beaujolais. The nose is gingerbread spice, dried strawberries & raspberries. On the palate is a wine that is lush & round without being heavy at all. This silky, elegant expression of the Grenache varietal is a perfect hot weather wine & we plan to enjoy it as long as it is available. It is doubtful the next vintage will yield anything like this & that is too bad because we hate to use the word “fruit bomb” & “syrup” here at Joe’s.
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