2025 Grenache
Sculpterra Grenache is such an enjoyable wine! This screw-cap bottling is a laid-back, fun and very pleasant wine. The wine starts with fresh aromas of ripe cherry, subtle pepper spice, wild thyme, some lavender and dried sagebrush. It maintains ripe red plums and strawberries from front to mid-palate and then turns toward herbal spice and nice oak integration. This vintage is generously ripe and enjoyable, featuring all the memorable characteristics of juicy-fruit Grenache flavors. I pick up aromas of cherry compote, plums then pie spice. This wine calls to be paired with a slow-cooked beef stew or even carñitas tacos with cilantro. Drink this wine upon release!
The crushed must was cold-soaked for 36 hours before yeast inoculation. We fermented our Grenache fruit in a combination of NEW 500L Puncheon barrels and one 2,234-gallon stainless tank. Then the wine aged exclusively in a total of 15-500L barrels with four being new Demptos Hungarian Medium and Medium+ Oak Barrels. Like in previous vintages I chose yeast 3001 for alcoholic fermentation. Technically this yeast is only recommended for Pinot Noir and not Grenache, but over the years I have discovered that it’s the perfect yeast for our Grenache fruit. Mainly the yeast thrives in a wide temperature range and produces classic varietal notes of strawberry and cherry. Also, the mouthfeel, color and texture of the wine improve with 3001 yeasts—it’s a winner! In early May 2026 we blended two 240L barrels of Petite Sirah with the 15 barrels and Grenache. Then we rough and polished filtered the wine tank to tank and bottled in mid-May.
| Download Wine Notes |
| Vintage | 2025 |
| Varietal | Grenache |
| Varietal Composition | 94% Grenache & 6% Petite Sirah |
| Appellation | Paso Robles |
| Vineyard | Frankel Family Estate & San Miguel Vineyards |
| Acid | 0.68 g/100ml |
| PH | 3.45 |
| Residual Sugar | 0.04 g/100ml |
| Alcohol | 14.30% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Bottling Date | 05/13/2026 |
| Cases Produced | 868 |
In years past, we blended our Grenache with grapes from Rafael Jimenez's wonderful vineyard in San Miguel, but this year we elected to produce a stand-alone 100% Frankel Vineyards Grenache wine. We’ve done excellent in past vintages, achieving multiple 93- and 94- point scores from Wine Enthusiast Magazine and this vintage will certainly be another award-winner! The 2025 growing season will be remembered as cool and long. Most of our grapes were harvested 1 month later than normal. The extended “hang-time” created unique taste and complex fruity qualities in the wine. Our 1.5-acre “El Libro” Grenache block features steep slopes and both east/west-facing rows. The rocky clay soils provide steady and equal water drainage and we implement both shoot thinning and leaf pulling in Springtime. The vines are lightly irrigated and rows are mowed and tilled throughout the growing season.
