Warning Label
Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 7:26AM 
I like to experiment with wines so I’m always trying new things. That’s always a risk and sometimes I get burned. Burned was what I got when I ordered the Herman’s Story, On the Road, Santa Barbara Grenache 2007. I was not burned by the wine, after all a winemaker has the right to make the wine they see fit. The wine itself was well made and interesting, but it clocked in at 16.1% alcohol on the label. A little warning of such an extreme would have been nice.
In Italy Amarone has for generations been a revered wine and it routinely sports alcohol levels of 16% and more. The problem with this Grenache was not the alcohol level, but that there was no way to know what was coming to your table unless you read the label before the cork was pulled. When you see Amarone on a wine list you know what to expect. With New World wines you have no clue. It seems to me the restaurants should make an effort to guide us a bit considering the markup they take. As with Amarone, wines like the Herman’s Story Grenache are not really table wines to compliment dinner, but “meditation wines” to be sipped with cheeses and nuts to finish a meal or while you read a book before the fireplace. When a restaurant tosses such wines into the wine list without comment they do their customers a disservice. It’s like putting a bottle of Graham’s Oporto into the wine list with the rest of the red wines - except that everyone knows Port is sweet.
A wine at 16.1% alcohol is an extreme wine for special circumstances and the wine list should note this fact.
The Herman’s Story, On the Road, Santa Barbara Grenache 2007 itself is an outstanding wine for the finest full flavored cheese you can find. Washed rind and blue cheeses will find a perfect counter point in this powerful, warm and richly fruity wine. The intense fruit and the high alcohol give an impression of sweetness on the palate that marries well with the the pungent saltiness of such cheeses. As there was no chance we could finish this wine with a meal, we brought the bottle home and tomorrow night a cheese course will be waiting for it. I think 24 hours of air won’t hurt a bit either.
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Reader Comments (4)
Hi Craig,
Funny you note the high alcohol and the issues with ordering at a restaurant. I actually sell this wine, and I have a hand-written note tied around the bottle neck noting the 16%+ ABV -- and that it needs a good decant. But I also note that Russell From is probably one of the few winemakers honest about the high level of alcohol in his wine. Most other California wineries use the +/- point of allowable wiggle-room to list their wines in the 15s and even high 14s if they can squeeze by, rather than the less fashionable (but often the case) low-16s.
My point? Even if a wine list included information as to ABV, or the somm told you what it was while ordering, you wouldn't be getting accurate information 9 times out of 10. The most important thing is balance, and the sommelier or a wine list should be able to guide you to a choice that is most appropriate for your meal. In this case, there was failed communication, for certain. I'm just guessing it could have happened with a lot of other California wines on the list that may have stated their ABV lower, but inaccurately.
Hope you're doing well, Craig!
Best,
Jill
Hi Craig,
this sounds like an interesting wine, especially, as you said, to be enjoyed at home. Do you think the winemaking is the same/similar to the amarone one or the alcohol is just due to the heat of the area?
A.
Alessandro - This is simply a case of a lot more sun than this variety needed. Grenache does not need much encouragement to produce a high alcohol wine!
It is a very, very good wine though. Grenache typically will attain higher alcohol levels and this is a Paso Robles producer, so it really shouldn't be incredibly surprising. Paso, even west of the 101 freeway will never be mistaken for a cooler climate.
All of that being said, is 16% even that much higher then many of the Cabs being produced in Napa any more? If I recall during my most recent trip, many of them checked in around 15%.