The sensory distinctions of Grenache blanc, Grenache gris and Grenache noir
Acquiesce Vineyard creates a sounding board for each grape to express its voice, and a compelling case for appreciating wine strictly in the context of food.
The beauty of Acquiesce Winery & Vineyard since its founding in 2012 on the east side of Mokelumne River-Lodi appellation is that it grows 100% of its own grapes—all of them “Rhône” varieties—and specializes in white wines (no reds, except for occasional “outliers”).
All the grapes are pressed and fermented pretty much the exact same way; then stubbornly finished by the brand’s chosen method, strictly in stainless steel tanks. Meaning, absolutely no barrel aging to influence wine aroma or structure through oxidation, with none of the flavors or phenolic compounds typically contributed by oak.
Imagine that, “pure,” unvarnished wines, tasting only of the grape. This might sound weird to most people, who associate barrels with every winery, but some of the greatest white wines in the world⎯such as the Chardonnay-based whites of France’s Chablis, and the Rieslings of Alsace and Germany⎯rarely see a speck of oak either. Acquiesce is different, but not that different.
Consequently, all the wines given the Acquiesce stamp are unerringly true to each of the nine grapes grown on the estate; its terroir defined primarily by rich yet well drained sandy loam soil (farming of subsections adjusted according to varying depths of clay hardpan) and influenced by a consistently moderate Mediterranean climate that rarely necessitates the usual winemaking manipulations such as acidification. In that sense, 99% of the work is done in the vineyard, well before the grapes hit the press.
The grape varieties grown:
Grenache blanc
Grenache gris
Grenache noir (for rosé production)
Piquepoul (a.k.a., Picpoul blanc)
Viognier
Roussanne
Clairette blanche
Bourboulenc
Cinsaut (going into a Cinsaut rosé and blended up to 20% into the Grenache rosé)
All bottled as varietal wines as well as artful blends and champagne method sparklers.
The results are unadulterated expressions of grape and terroir instantly devoured by not only a legion of followers, but also, it seems, the trade, media and industry. Professional wine judges⎯a barometer of sorts for evolving quality standards⎯predictably go bonkers: It is a rare occurrence when an Acquiesce bottling does not garner a gold, double gold or “best of class” in competitions such as San Francisco Chronicle, Orange County, American Fine Wine or Los Angeles International.
At the 2024 California State Fair an Acquiesce Grenache Rosé was named “Best of California” and given a ridiculous score (I’m very skeptical of numerical scores) of 99. In 2022 Acquiesce owner/grower Sue Tipton was named Woman Winemaker of the Year by the International Women’s Wine Competition. When you produce consistently good wine, even in an “outcast” region such as Lodi, at some point even the fussy, and largely conformist, insiders in the wine industry start to take notice.
Iconoclastic approach to wine with food
Acquiesce’s 100% commitment to crisply balanced, unoaked wines is not just an aesthetic choice. It also has a lot to do with founder Sue Tipton’s conviction that Acquiesce grown wines can only be appreciated one way: In the context of food.
How so? If, for instance, you decide to honor the winery by paying a visit, you may not just taste the wines. Every visitor is compelled to taste a selection of Acquiesce wines with bites of food. And not just any kind of food. Each month a set of four new dishes are devised by a chef in collaboration with Sue and Rodney Tipton.
At this writing, it is actually a husband/wife team of Jake and Shauna De Voignes. Up until a couple of years ago, Jake was an Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Director of Lodi’s Appellation Lodi (née Wine & Roses) Hotel. It doesn’t hurt that Jake and Shauna own and organically farm two local vineyards of their own, and produce wines under their own brand (HELEJE Wine Company). They know their way around grapes, wines, and of course, the kitchen.
Wine geeks may ask, why is it necessary to taste Acquiesce wines with food, even if I don’t want to? The answer is simple: Because the Tiptons do not believe their wines can be fully appreciated outside the context of food. Food gives their wines meaning on a sensory level. It is, in fact, the whole purpose behind their approach to farming (painstaking sustainable and regenerative practices) and winemaking (“pure,” unoaked wines that “acquiesce” to the land). It does not matter to them that there are over 11,000 other wineries in the United States and well less than 99.999% of them do not require tasting wines with food. If you come to Acquiesce, you do it their way; and let me tell you, tasting is believing. Reservations, as you might surmise, are required.
The last time I experienced Acquiesce’s wine/food tasting was in early last December. The matches during that monthly segment (in the photo above, from bottom to top):
Lemon curd and fromage blanc crêpe with 2023 Bourboulenc
Truffle Tremor cheese and Honest Acres Farm honey with 2023 Ingénue (Clairette blanche/Grenache blanc/Bourboulenc/Piquepoul)
Pork terrine, pistachio, dried fruit and mushroom with 2023 Roussanne
Olive tapenade with handmade baguette with Sparkling Clairette Blanche
Since I’m a food guy, I could say a lot. Suffice to say, though, it was amazing.
The three varieties of Grenache
So let’s get down to brass tacks. The latest benefit of Acquiesce’s uncompromising methodology is we are now able to clearly delineate, and enjoy, the three vaunted clonal variations of the historic Grenache grape: Grenache blanc, Grenache gris and Grenache noir.
The black skinned variant of Grenache, of course, is utilized the world over to produce both red wines and rosés. Reds, however, are not Acquiesce’s schtick; although the estate’s unerringly talented winemaker, Christina Lopez, has made a few laudably sleek, pure and zesty Grenache-based reds in recent vintages just to show that she can, if she wants to (there are no reds among Acquiesce’s current releases, and there was none produced in 2025).
Last week Ms. Lopez made the time to show exactly what she is doing with the three different cultivars of Grenache:
Grenache blanc will continue to be defined as a light, crisp, bone dry 100% varietal as well as a base wine of the winery’s Rhône Valley inspired blends with other varieties (such as Roussanne, Viognier, Piquepoul, Clairette blanche and Bourboulenc).
The purplish/reddish “gray” skinned Grenache gris is pressed and fermented like all of the whites; handled, in other words, in similar fashion to grayish red-tinted Pinot gris (a.k.a., Pinot grigio), which is typically rendered colorless (skin pigments dropping out during grape pressing or fermentation) while being made into a white wine.
The black skinned Grenache noir is pressed almost entirely clear of color, resulting in more of a blanc de noir, although is destined to become another one of the winery’s immensely popular dry rosés. Tipton and Lopez prefer to control the amount of pinkish tint in their rosé by adding small amounts of red wine just before bottling (a small lot of Cinsaut is fermented on skins for this express purpose, usually blended into both the Grenache and Cinsaut rosés in proportions ranging from 5% to 15%, depending on the vintage).
Sensory distinctions of 2025s
Lopez presented three wines⏤the 2025 white wine cuvées made from Grenache blanc and Grenache gris, plus a three-way 2025 blend of Grenache blanc/Grenache gris/Grenache noir which will be bottled as the Acquiesce “Sirens.”
Our tasting notes:
2025 Grenache Blanc
Typically flowery nose with a touch of honey, a lavender/herbes de Provence-like herbiness, citrus and peach-like stone fruit. On the palate, bone dry, a sense of lightness and crispness marked by heightened, mouth freshening acidity (without being sharp or puckery) and citrus components. Of all three Grenache varieties, Grenache blanc also retains the most mineral-like quality on the palate, primarily because of its accentuated acidity.
2025 Grenache Gris
Pronounced aromatic fruit notes suggesting red berry (raspberry/strawberry), a touch of stone fruit (peach), and citrusy tart palate sensations manifested in moderately savory/mineral notes.
According to Lopez, “On a sensory level, our Grenache gris turned out almost vastly different from Grenache blanc because it is less acidic⏤the grapes were picked at slightly higher Brix [23°] than the Grenache blanc [21.5°], with slightly lower acidity⏤plus the fact that there is a touch of phenolic content natural to Grenache gris that you don’t find in Grenache blanc.
“Texturally, Grenache gris is less minerally than Grenache blanc, but the phenolics give a little more textural feel to the palate. The aroma is closer to Grenache noir than it is to Grenache blanc in terms of red berry fruit profile. I think of it as having more ‘vertical volume’ than Grenache blanc, although a little less savory than wines going into a Grenache rosé.”
2025 Sirens (Grenache Blanc/Grenache Gris/Grenache Noir)
Equal 1/3 proportions of all three Grenache varieties giving a prominent, filled out, almost lush stone fruit/peach-like fruit profile, faint notes of red berry and citrus, plus nuanced yet distinctive herby notes akin to herbes de Provence in the nose. Fairly crisp, precisely defined palate feel, finishing with a mild minerality. Like any good blend, a wine that adds up to something a little more multi-dimensional than any of the other varietal cuvées standing on their own.
Remarks Lopez, “The Sirens was finished at 13.8% alcohol, a little fuller than both the Grenache blanc [12.9%] and Grenache gris [13.5%] because the Grenache noir component was picked at slightly higher Brix [24°] than the other two grapes. In 2025 our Grenache rosé will also finish closer to 14% alcohol. Yet the nice thing about the Sirens is that it combines the crispness, lightness as well as textural qualities of all three grapes, while combining the floral and fresh red berry aromas for which Grenache is known and loved.”
Grenache Conclusions
While subtle, there are enough distinctive sensory qualities in each of the Grenache selections to give credence to the wisdom of planting all three varieties. Makes you wonder why there has never been a lot of interest in cultivating Grenache gris on the West Coast.
Because of the sensory distinctions, the blending of two or three of the varieties certainly make sense from aesthetic point of view, but it also goes without saying that each grape is interesting enough to stand on its own⏤which, of course, wines made from the white and black skinned variants often do.
I have got to stop there in March. On my way back south. It looks like it's worth the stop.