Every so often—and with climate change, it’s becoming less often—we come across a red Grenache that exhibits the more perfumed, red-fruited, “Pinot Noir-ish” side of the variety. For reference, I usually cite the wines of Château Rayas in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which really are warm-climate analogs to great red Burgundies, and while I’m not placing Kings Carey’s “Spear Vineyards” Grenache in Rayas’ elite company, I am saying that it delivers the kind of high-energy, non-syrupy, exuberantly juicy Grenache experience I wish we had more of. 

Kings Carey is a solo project from acclaimed Liquid Farm winemaker James Sparks, who, in addition to nailing the “natural but clean” style, has access to some stellar, organically farmed fruit from the Spears Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills. This is one of those instances where the label art (by Philadelphia artist Hawk Krall) perfectly captures the spirit of the wine inside: this is bold, bright, ultra-cool Grenache at a friendly price. To me, it’s a textbook example of what the new generation of California winemakers are after—more freshness and purity, less obvious oak, and best of all, affordability. Only 140 cases of it were made, so act fast!

Sparks found his calling in wine after moving to California’s Santa Ynez Valley in 2009. His career path took him to Dragonette Cellars, where he was assistant winemaker, and later to Liquid Farm in 2013, where he became that boutique label’s first “dedicated” winemaker. He continues to craft the Liquid Farm wines in addition to his Kings Carey lineup, for which he’s assembled a pretty cracker-jack roster of Central Coast vineyard source: Eden Rift in the Gabilan Mountains, Giff’s Vineyard in Los Olivos, and, for this wine, Spear Vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills.

Among the plantings at the CCOF Certified Organic, 34-acre Spears property are four acres of Grenache Noir, grown at high elevation in the Santa Rita Hills AVA. Although the site is toward the eastern end of the valley, this still qualifies as a “cool climate” site for Grenache—Grenache as grown in a proven Pinot Noir terroir—and it shows. Sparks’ rendition clocks in at 13.5% alcohol, which is quite modest for the variety, and the wine is aged only in neutral oak barrels, to highlight its juicy primary fruit. More specifically, the entirety of the production (which hit about 140 cases) was aged in three large oak puncheons of 400- and 500-liter capacity. 

In the glass, the wine displays a deep garnet-red core moving to a pink rim, with assertive aromas of red and black cherry, concentrated wild strawberries, a hint of orange peel, dark chocolate, black pepper, and dusty earth. It is medium-bodied and boasts great freshness, a long way from the syrupy style that has become the norm. I would opt to serve this with a slight chill, around 55 degrees, in Burgundy stems after a quick splash-decant—and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some people “blinded” it as a richer, more sun-soaked style of Central Coast Pinot Noir. Pair it with medium-rare burgers or some al pastor tacos and it’s going to have you coming back for more. This is the new California—natural, no makeup—and it’s mightily impressive. Cheers!