Popelouchum Blanc San Benito AVA 2023 (750ml) *
Product price
$44.99
Description
Grenache is more often associated with reds, but here it turns white and gris: a blend of 60% Grenache Blanc and 40% Grenache Gris grown at Randall Grahm's Popelouchum estate in San Benito, a plot first planted in 2014 and farmed at low yields with minimal irrigation, part of Grahm's long project of Rhône grapes rooted in California soil. The 2023 was handled in a reductive, almost Burgundian manner, and it carries the coolness and late ripening of a slower vintage.
There is a whisper of reduction that suits the wine rather than obscuring it, along with floral notes and a tight, mineral thread of salinity. Pear and apple skin lead the fruit, and the palate turns creamy and textural, with time in relatively young barrels folded in cleanly rather than sitting on top. If red Burgundy is your reference point for texture and restraint, this white speaks the same language. It drinks well now and has the structure to hold and develop.
Product Details
| Category | Wine |
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Producer | Popelouchum Sparkling San Benito |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Size | 750 ML |
| Subtype | Still |
Expert Reviews
Made in a reductive, Burgundian style by the one and only Randall Grahm, from 60% Grenache Blanc and 40% Grenache Gris, the 2023 Grenache Blanc Grenache Gris Popelouchum Vineyard Estate shows the coolness and late ripening of the vintage, with a touch of reduction that works well here. Floral, tightly textured, and tasting of salinity, pear, and apple skin, Grahm says if you like red Burgundy, this is your wine. Interesting and creamy on the palate, it was aged in relatively young barrels and integrates the wood well. Enjoyable now, this should be drink well another 5-7 years. First planted in 2014, Randall Grahm’s experimental San Benito vineyard is low yielding and has minimal irrigation. His focus, as always, is on grapes rooted in the Rhône. (Jeb Dunnuck, April 2025)