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Welcome to That Useful Wine Site!
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(Whether to call this grape, and its family relatives, by the French name of “Grenache” or the Spanish name of “Garnacha” is a tough call. We elected to use the Spanish designation for the red-wine grape—as Spanish lands were its original home plus nowadays more is produced in Spain than in France—but the French designation for the two white-wine varieties, as that seems to be what they are most commonly known as.)
Grenache Blanc is a white-wine grape originating as a color mutation of its better-known relation Garnacha Tinto (the Garnacha/Grenache family has three color varieties: Tinta = red, Blanca = white, and the less-known Gris, which also makes white wines); we found no indication of when the Blanc mutation arose, but as the main grape is quite ancient, the variant is likely old as well (the earliest known citation of it was in 1872, but it is almost surely significantly older than that). The original home of the Garnachas is most likely Spain, or rather the historical Spanish kingdom of Aragon at the time Garnacha appeared.
In modern times, Grenache Blanc has been mainly a French Rhône wine, with plantings in France being two to two-and-a-half times as great (by acreage) as in Spain. But there is now also a veritable explosion of interest in it in California. As there is a current fad for Rhône wines (both French and the Californians produced by the so-called “Rhône Rangers”), this variety has come in for its share of interest; fortunately, it deserves it. When well-made as a monovarietal, it makes wines that are rich and full-bodied, often quite aromatic and strongly flavored, especially if—as is common—it is barrel-aged in oak. There are also significant plantings in Croatia, Macedonia, California (where it is rapidly growing in acreage), and even South Africa. The variety is emerging from “What?” status to some popularity as its virtues become better known.
When vineyard growth is not carefully restrained, Grenache Blanc 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 straw-colored wine with aromas of complex citrus notes with stone-fruit and green apple mixed (some even mention dill and other spices), 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.
“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.”
“It typically displays green-apple and stonefruit aromas and a broad texture. However, it is considered to be very sensitive to terroir so can show considerable variation. Extra care is needed to avoid oxidation…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.”
““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.”
“[I]t’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.”
“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.”
“At its best, Grenache Blanc is a delicious full bodied wine with a luscious texture. Aromas of apple, stone fruits and white flowers are followed by flavors of green apple, honeydew melon, lemon, white peach, apricot and herbs, together with a delicate spiciness and subtle mineral notes. It can also be creamy if aged on its lees and may display oak flavors. An additional feature is its long lingering finish, which adds greatly to its appeal.”
“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…In France Grenache Blanc is typically blended, while single varietal Grenache Blanc is often found in Spain and the US. Styles of single varietal Grenache Blanc vary widely from lightly flavored, mineral infused wines to lush and richly flavored. The former are somewhat more common to Spain, while the latter are more common to California. The Washington State Grenache Blanc we tasted falls somewhere in the middle and shows more citrus notes.”
“Part of grenache blanc’s delicious appeal, to me, comes from balance. With a drinking experience reminiscent of sauvignon blanc or a very crisp chardonnay, grenache blanc tends to be generous and bright all at once, rich and crisp, full and vibrant. That makes this easy-drinking white wine as a much a perfect afternoon sipper as a dinner table companion for dishes like sushi and pork chops.”
“Grenache Blanc is prized for its rich, bright flavors, crisp acidity, and high alcohol. Wines are typically low in acidity with citrus and herbaceous notes. It is a vigorously growing vine which can lead to overproduction and diminished quality if yields are not controlled. Grenache Blanc grapes are flexible in the wine making process. They respond well to low fermentation temperatures, which will produce fresh, herbal scents. It’s noteworthy that Grenache Blanc also tastes well served at chilled temperatures when its crispness is at the forefront…Single varietal bottlings of Grenache Blanc are straw colored wines characterized by crisp acids, green apple and mandarin aromas, and flavors of apple, mineral and peach. It responds well to malolactic fermentation as well as oak aging.”
“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.”
“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.”
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Some Descriptions of Grenache Blanc Wines
“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.”
“It typically displays green-apple and stonefruit aromas and a broad texture. However, it is considered to be very sensitive to terroir so can show considerable variation. Extra care is needed to avoid oxidation…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.”
““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.”
“[I]t’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.”
“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.”
“At its best, Grenache Blanc is a delicious full bodied wine with a luscious texture. Aromas of apple, stone fruits and white flowers are followed by flavors of green apple, honeydew melon, lemon, white peach, apricot and herbs, together with a delicate spiciness and subtle mineral notes. It can also be creamy if aged on its lees and may display oak flavors. An additional feature is its long lingering finish, which adds greatly to its appeal.”
“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…In France Grenache Blanc is typically blended, while single varietal Grenache Blanc is often found in Spain and the US. Styles of single varietal Grenache Blanc vary widely from lightly flavored, mineral infused wines to lush and richly flavored. The former are somewhat more common to Spain, while the latter are more common to California. The Washington State Grenache Blanc we tasted falls somewhere in the middle and shows more citrus notes.”
“Part of grenache blanc’s delicious appeal, to me, comes from balance. With a drinking experience reminiscent of sauvignon blanc or a very crisp chardonnay, grenache blanc tends to be generous and bright all at once, rich and crisp, full and vibrant. That makes this easy-drinking white wine as a much a perfect afternoon sipper as a dinner table companion for dishes like sushi and pork chops.”
“Grenache Blanc is prized for its rich, bright flavors, crisp acidity, and high alcohol. Wines are typically low in acidity with citrus and herbaceous notes. It is a vigorously growing vine which can lead to overproduction and diminished quality if yields are not controlled. Grenache Blanc grapes are flexible in the wine making process. They respond well to low fermentation temperatures, which will produce fresh, herbal scents. It’s noteworthy that Grenache Blanc also tastes well served at chilled temperatures when its crispness is at the forefront…Single varietal bottlings of Grenache Blanc are straw colored wines characterized by crisp acids, green apple and mandarin aromas, and flavors of apple, mineral and peach. It responds well to malolactic fermentation as well as oak aging.”
“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.”
“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.”