We always say that shared bottles are the best bottles.

Last night, we enjoyed a bottle of 2009 Las Rocas Vinas Viejas Grenacha that was given to us by our friend Alisa. It was delicious. 

Quick trick - whenever we receive a bottle of wine as a gift, we write the name of the person on the bottle with a silver marker. This way, we’ll remember who to toast when we enjoy it.

Back to the bottle.

Grencha is the Spanish name for the Granache grape. This particular wine is from the Catalyud region in Spain, where Grenache accounts for approximately 55 percent of the grapes grown. “Vinas Viejas” means “old vines.” According to the Las Rocas website, the grapes are grown on vines between 50 and 100 years old. 

We’ll be the first to admit that we’re a bit California-centric when it comes to wine. That’s not at all because we think wine from elsewhere is inferior. We just don’t know other wine regions quite as well as we know our Californians.

Thanks to Alisa, we’ve gotten to know a good Spanish wine a bit better.

This was definitely a darker Grenache. It has black cherry and plum on the nose with dark fruit continuing onto the palate along with a little earth. The finish was slightly acidic with a touch of heat, which went well with our meal of rotisserie chicken and roasted root vegetables.

Note: The "regular" Las Rocas Granacha (i.e. younger vines) received a nice recommendation on the Reverse Wine Snob blog. It sounds like either one is worth a try if you can get your hands on a bottle.