{"product_id":"two-shepherds-siletto-vineyard-grenache-2023","title":"Two Shepherds Siletto Vineyard Grenache 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSan Benito County is one of the least discussed serious growing regions in California, which is odd given that it sits directly on the San Andreas Fault and has limestone deposits that Chalone and Calera built entire reputations on. Siletto Family Vineyards farms inland near Hollister on sandy loam, well east of the Monterey Bay but still close enough that marine air pushes through the Pajaro gap in the afternoons. It is warm during the day and cold at night, and the sandy soils keep vigor low. Grenache planted in that combination of conditions ripens without bloating: color stays pale, alcohol stays moderate, and the aromatics stay in the red-fruit register rather than sliding into jam.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e100% Grenache Noir. Two Shepherds treats Grenache the way northern Rhone producers treat Syrah rather than the way Chateauneuf treats Grenache: whole clusters, native yeast, gentle extraction, neutral wood, and no attempt to build weight. The result is borderline rosato in color and yet fully structured, which is the trick with Grenache handled this way. Ripe strawberry, raspberry, white pepper, dried herbs, and a faint vanilla-bean note, with bright acidity and fine tannin holding it together through a dry finish. Around 12.5% alcohol. 2023 was a long, cool, late-ripening year across California following a very wet winter, with harvest running weeks behind normal and fruit coming in at lower sugars and higher acids than the preceding vintages.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo Shepherds began in 2010 when William Allen turned a home-winemaking habit into a commercial micro-winery built around Rhone varieties, at a point when California Grenache was mostly being made into something heavy. Karen Daenen came on as partner in 2015. The operation is small and hands-on: they farm their own organic Grenache and Grenache Gris block in Windsor themselves, and lease specific rows from family-owned growers elsewhere, writing the farming specs for those blocks and picking them on their own schedule. Grenache in all three colors is the core of what they do, and the Siletto bottling is among the most site-driven of them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePale and peppery calls for lighter, herb-driven cooking. Roast chicken with tarragon, grilled lamb kebabs with mint yogurt, a mushroom and leek pasta, or a plate of manchego and marcona almonds. The wine has enough acid to handle olive oil and enough structure to stand up to grilled meat without ever getting heavy about it. Serve it at cellar temperature, 55 to 60 degrees, which is where the white pepper and strawberry both show clearly.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LeDuc Wine Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51195288551647,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8150119_e3eb8bb1-e43f-40a3-804d-075a2d79c63a.jpg?v=1786842645","url":"https:\/\/denverwinemerchant.com\/products\/two-shepherds-siletto-vineyard-grenache-2023","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}