SF Chronicle

DRINKING WITH ESTHER 

BY ESTHER MOBLEY

Maybe this is the wine writer’s version of Murphy’s law. Ever since publishing my story about the rise of cru Beaujolais-inspired wines in California, I keep encountering bottles that I wish I’d included in the story — perfect embodiments of the light-earthy-grippy-fruity profile. (Granted, it’s a big umbrella.) One such wine is the Dashe Grenache Dry Creek Valley 2016 ($32, 13.1%), which is the color of a translucent cranberry with a beautifully pure core of tart, red fruit and leafy, spicy, floral accents. The Grenache is part of Dashe’s Les Enfants Terribles line of wines, which Mike and Ann Dashe launched in 2007 in response to a request from the Slanted Door for a wine that tasted like cru Beaujolais. I paid a visit to Dashe’s winery in Oakland this week and tasted through many delicious wines, including an 11-year-old version of that Grenache, so can attest: Despite its delicacy, this can age.

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