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Palencia Wine Co. 2012 Grenache, Yakima Valley, $36
Each year, Victor Palencia makes more than a million cases of wine from grapes in the Columbia Basin and Wahluke Slope, but the proud Prosser High School grad focuses in on his home Yakima Valley for this vibrant Rhône red. Canyon Ranch Vineyard, overseen by his first mentor — winemaker/grower David Minick — produced aromas of blackberry, black currant, black pepper, cola and toast. Those tones turn a bit dark on the palate, which builds with pomegranate acidity, flecks of minerality and a savory finish of black olive. While the Palencia wines are available in several retail outlets in Eastern Washington, production of his work with Rhône varieties is limited to his tasting room at the Walla Walla Regional Airport neighborhood — just minutes from where he earned his winemaking degree.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 100 cases
Alcohol: 14%
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