B-21's B-Blog

What a Bitch: Ringland’s new love is grenache

by Chris Sherman (B-21) under Miscellaneous

I grant a rare silly-name indulgence to Chris Ringland and Dan Phillips for this label dangerously close to Marilyn Merlot.  On the recent visit to top-secret Area 21 the man in black admitted Bitch is a crass attention-getter but in good cause, promoting the unloved Grenache.

Like Shiraz, Grenache is a great grape that pioneers of the hot dusty continent stole from a similar part of the old world, southern France and Spain.  Ringland’s Shiraz get big praise, but to hear him, his heart’s with Grenache.  It’s in a slew of his wines Down Under and he even began a Grenache project in Spain with Jorge Ordonez (Bodegas El Nido), which has already received love from Parker with scores of 97 Points and up.  His current case of Grenache runneth over.  Bitch is not lame swill hiding under silliness but an unoaked Grenache, juicy and bursting with spicy raspberries.  Now in its 4th vintage, wows have followed the initial chuckles, and a tarty sparkler has been added (Bitch Bubbly – $9.99).

What kind of food goes with Grenache?  Between tastings we dispatched him to Tarpon’s Mr. Souvlaki where he tucked into our home town dolmades.  After that, his next stop was Hawaii.

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