The Garnacha Blanca Grape

(Synonyms: Alicant Belyi, AlicanteBlanca, Belan, Belon, Bernacha Blanca, Fehér Grenache, Garnacha, Garnacho Blanco, Garnatxa Blanca, Gkrenas Mplan, Grenache Blanc, Grenash Beli, Grenash Belyi, Grenash Bjal, Llandor Blanca, Rool Grenache, Silla Blanc, Sillina Lanc.)

Background

Garnacha Blanca is a white-wine grape originating—like its better-known relation the red Garnacha Tinta (aka Grenache)—in Spain; indeed, it is basically a color mutation of red Garnacha. Nowadays, it is chiefly grown in France and Spain, with plantings in France being two to two-and-a-half times as great (by acreage) as in Spain. There are also small plantings in many wine-growing countries, from South Africa to the U.S. The variety is emerging from “What?” status to some popularity as its virtues become better known.

As with so many grape varieties, Garnacha Blanca, to produce its best showing, needs to have its vineyard growth restrained. When properly grown and vinified (usually including some oak aging), it typically produces big, rich, alcoholic white wines; these are often used in blends (especially in the Rhône Valley), but there is a trend, as its popularity rises, toward more and more monovarietal expressions.

When vineyard growth is not carefully restrained, Garnacha Blanca can tend toward being “fat” or “flabby”. Also, because the wine oxidizes easily, it should be drunk young: it is not a candidate for bottle aging. But, if the winemaker has done the job right, the result will be a big, expansive, rich wine with strong fruit and citrus notes, excellent minerality, and crisp acids (which are missing in overgrown specimens).

Factoid: Garnacha Blanca/Grenache Blanc from the Santa Ynez Valley of California is seemingly becoming the new world standard.

Some Descriptions of Garnacha Blanca Wines

Wikipedia
“Its wines are characterized by high alcohol and low acidity, with citrus and or herbaceous notes. Its vigor can lead to overproduction and flabbiness. However, if yields are controlled, it can contribute flavor and length to blends, particularly with Roussanne. Since the 1980s, it has been the fifth most widely planted white wine grape in France…Grenache blanc responds best to low fermentation temperatures which produces a fresh, dill-scented wine in its youth. The grape is fairly flexible in winemaking and can be exposed to malolactic fermentation, extended skin maceration, lees stirring as well as oak aging.”
Wine Searcher
“The light-golden, straw-colored juice of Grenache Blanc is increasingly produced as a varietal wine, though its use as a softener in a blend is still more common. It typically displays green-apple and stonefruit aromas and a fat texture. However it is considered to be very sensitive to terroir so can show considerable variation. Extra care is needed to avoid oxidation…In hot and dry climates such as that found in Roussillon (where about a third of France’s…Grenache Blanc is grown), the variety can struggle to achieve good acidity”In California, Grenache Blanc is widely grown on the Central Coast, in particular San Luis Obispo. The cooler southern reaches of the region allow the variety to develop crisper acidity and more mineral characteristics.
Wine Folly
“Since being planted in the United States, single-varietal Grenache Blanc wines continue to grow in popularity where it’s loved for its intense flavors, higher alcohol content, and plush style (when aged in oak) similar to Chardonnay…‘Green richness’” is the theme that carries through all Grenache Blanc wines. The aromas will burst with green fruit and citrus notes including Asian pear, green apple, unripe mango, lime zest, and white peach. Other flavors include subtle sweet floral notes of honeysuckle and fenugreek (or almost cumin seed) along with baked apple, brioche and lemon curd if the wine was aged in oak. On the palate it will be plump and rich with juicy pear flavors that lead into lean herbal notes of green almond or dried green herbs and salty minerals. Alcohol levels will range in the 13–15% range, giving the wine a spice-driven finish.
Winc
“First, it’s about as universally delicious as a white wine can be. If you’re into Roussanne, Marsanne, or Viognier, you’ll love Grenache Blanc. And if Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc sit a bit too far to the ends of the white wine spectrum for you, you’ll love the ‘go-between’ style of good ol’ G.B. It’s a triple threat—great texture, full body, and lovely aromatics—and its rich, nutty, nutmeg-and-cinnamon spice notes also make it the ideal white wine for both spring and fall.”
Foods and Wines From Spain
“I still remember the very first 100% white Garnacha wine I ever tried…as it slid silkily over my tongue like honeyed velvet, I was struck by its lemony and mineral palate—in fact, I'm not sure I had ever truly grasped the meaning of a mineral wine before that moment—reminiscent of rain drops falling on white slate. Since then, I have been drawn to this grape, whose unctuous body; floral, citrus and mineral aromas, and great capacity for aging, is yielding a small, but growing selection of interesting single-variety wines in northeastern Spain, which are decidedly Mediterranean in style and brimming with personality…In general, Garnacha Blanca produces golden-hued, full-bodied wines with a generous alcohol content, which lends them a soft and unctuous palate. Its aromas include floral and citrus, as well as notes of ripe stone fruit like apricots—at times with hints of dill, broom, thyme, rosemary and other scrub/herbs/undergrowth.”
Jancis Robinson
“Light-berried Grenache, planted all over southern France and northern Spain, as Garnacha or Garnatxa Blanca, producing full-bodied, sometimes rather flabby wines which can oxidise easily, although careful winemaking can make attractively scented wines for early drinking.”
i-wine review
“Grenache Blanc is often yellow gold in color, taking on the color of its ripe stems. Aromas and flavors in single varietal Grenache Blanc tend to dried herbs, white stonefruit, lychee, tangerine zest, and notes of saline minerals, underbrush and anise. Maturation in neutral or used oak contributes to texture and complexity without noticeable oak flavors…Styles of single varietal Grenache Blanc vary widely from lightly flavored, mineral infused wines to lush and richly flavored. T he former are somewhat more common to Spain, while the latter are more common to California.”
Wine Paradigm
“Luscious texture with aromas of apple, stone fruits and white flowers, followed by flavors of green apple, honeydew melon, lemon, white peach, apricot and herbs, together with a delicate spiciness and subtle mineral notes. Can be creamy if aged on lees and may display oak flavors. Full-bodied with generally medium acidity; best enjoyed young due to its tendency to oxidise.”
World’s Best Wines
“The wines produced out of Garnacha Blanca are mostly characterized by low acidity as well as high alcohol entertaining herbaceous or a citrus note. The vigor of this grape can result in the flabbiness as well as overproduction. If the yields of this vine are controlled, the flavor and the length of this vine can contribute to the preparation of some of the tasteful wines of the world…The aromas exhibited out of the grapes of this variety are typically that of green apple as well as stone fruit.”

Some Garnacha Blancas to Try

For a Splurge

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