2021 Odonata, Grenache Rouge, Sparkling Wine, Hook Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands.
Again I was impressed and thrilled by the new set of releases from Odonata, and I especially loved the latest Grenache Rouge Fizz, which shows off a dark ruby hue and a Champagne style mousse with a dry, but expressive palate of strawberry, plum and tart cherry fruits, a touch of lees brioche, wet stones, mineral notes, a light sense of anise and candied orange and subtle florals. The Odonata Sparkling Grenache Rouge by winemaker Denis Hoey, sourced from the Hook Vineyard that is all Tablas Creek clone Grenache set on sandy loams, is a macerated on the skins to be a red Methode Champenoise bubbly. Made from these old vines in the Santa Lucia Highlands, this unique bubbly is exciting and lively on the palate, but with an elegant mousse and a depth of flavors. Hoey employed, as noted in prior reviews, a full skin maceration and primary fermentation in stainless steel, exactly as a normal red wine would have, before going through its patient journey of lees aging and riddling in bottle to become this ruby colored and crisply dry bubbly that was lovingly hand crafted to thrill the senses. Odonata Wines was founded in Santa Cruz back in 2005, but really has become a full fledged estate winery, after relocating to Monterey’s wine country in 2014 when they moved into the old Marilyn Remark Winery property.
There’s always a lot to like at Odonata, based on River Road on the edge of the Santa Lucia Highlands, and while I usually am drawn to their Syrah, Pinot Noir and Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon here, I really liked the new 2021 Malbec and the Grenache Rouge Sparkler. As noted in my prior review of Odonata’s Sparkling Riesling, Hoey has a real talent for these fun bubbly wines, in the past I’ve enjoyed the Chardonnay, a more traditional Champagne inspired bubbly and even a Sangiovese version, and of course there is a lot to excited about from this winery, with new releases, including the 2022 SLH Pinot Noir, the Hook Vineyard Syrah, a Brunello style Sangiovese and as mentioned, the brilliant set of Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon(s). This sparkler, as per normal with Odonata, saw the grapes picked a couple of days early to keep freshness in the wine and once the primary fermentation was completed, which was on the skins for about two weeks, I believe, the wine was then transferred to a stainless tank for a short period before the complex and lengthy bottle aging began for this Grenache Rouge. Denis and team then “en tirage” bottled the wine with added yeast and sugar that start process of creating the luxurious beading small bubbles in the bottles. Be sure to get out to Odonata to taste the latest limited offerings and or check them out online sat their website.
($46 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive