2009 Keplinger Red Slope Grenache

Keplinger, based in Napa Valley, was founded in 2006 by winemaker Helen Keplinger and her husband Douglas Warner, and it has become one of the rising stars among wineries established by a new generation of youthful, innovative winemakers. Keplinger herself has been featured in cover stories in wine journals including Wine Spectator. Keplinger fell in love with Grenache during a sojourn working in a Priorat, Spain, and at her new winemaking enterprise she focuses on Grenache-based and other Rhone-style blends. Keplinger earned a graduate degree in enology at UC Davis and worked in Australia and several regions of California before starting her own venture. She sources grapes from the Sierra Foothills and elsewhere. Along with Grenache, she blends Mourvedre, Syrah, Viognier, and starting in 2012 has made a white blend of Viognier, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc. Wine writer James Laube has noted that “in embracing a handful of Rhone Valley grapes, especially Grenache, Keplinger has created captivating and uniquely styled wines that are stretching the boundaries of what has been a Syrah-centric arena among California vintners.”

One of the most popular red varieties planted, it ripens late and prefers hot dry climates. It probably originated in Spain, where it is still widely grown. Grenache is best known for its use in Southern Rhone wines, including those of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.