The 2010 The End is likewise produced biodynamically, foot-trodden in open top barrels with half the crop de-stemmed, spending 14 months in 300 and 500 liter French oak, very little new. It has a very understated bouquet with scents of mulberry, melted tar, autumn leaves and Provencal herbs that demand coaxing from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and very pure dark fruit sprinkled with generous dashes of white pepper and garrigue (white fennel, dill and rosemary.) It is a complex Garnacha, but not one that goes out of its way to impress. Instead the imbiber has to seek out its charms that are abundant within this very well-crafted wine. I cannot wait to see how this matures. Drink 2013-2020+.
If you are seeking Grenache that is understated, complex, full of character and honest without resorting to new oak or ostentation, then look no further than the exquisite and rather brilliant wines of Bodegas Jimenez-Landi, which have rightly been lauded by my predecessors in previous issues. I stand accused of being even more ecstatic about these wines that were riveting earlier this year: wines that stimulate the intellect as much as the senses.
Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565; and Indigo Wine www.indigowine.com in the UK.