In the March issue of the Review of Washington Wines, there are five Grenache wines scoring 19 or more out of 20 points, three of which received 20/20 points and one scoring 19.5/20 points. Why such high scores? The answer is that the Grenache grape is capable of producing truly outstanding wines in Washington State.

Two of the Grenache wines scoring 20/20 points are from PÁŠXA Wines. Here are the Team's comments on my reviews: "We just received some really lovely reviews from Wine Writer Rand Sealey for his March issue of Review of Washington Wines. Rand score on a 20-point scale than the typical 100-point scale - and rarely scores wines a perfect 20 points. We appreciate his thoughtful writing and are thankful that the so enjoyed the wines he tasted from this year's allocation of PÁŠXA wines. Reviews below."

What is it about Washington State that produces such outstanding Grenaches? The state's microclimates and terroirs are made to order for the grape: Warm temperatures and stony, minerally soils, especially in the Rocks of Milton-Freewater and on Red Mountain, both of which mirror the sun baked, rocky (called mas in France) slopes of Spain (where the grape originated) and South France. In Washington the results are bold yet elegant wines that have so much going on in the way of aromas and flavors that they can earn perfect for near perfect scores, especially with skilled winemaking such as that of Todd Alexander (PÁŠXA) and Sean Boyd (Rotie Cellars). Also see the February issue for the 2020 Sleight of Hand (Trey Busch) WeatherEye Vineyard Grenache from Red Mountain (20/20 points). Another noteworthy producer is Christophe Baron's Cayuse Vineyards (The "GOK" Grenache).

There will be more in the way of Grenaches - Red White and Rosé - coming up in the April issue of the Review of Washington Wines. From Cairdeas on Lake Chelan, there will be a 2022 Grenache Blanc (a white mutant) and a 2022 Rosé along with a 2021 Amphora aged Grenache Noir. For April, there also will be a 2022 L'Ecole No 41 Grenache Rosé from the Alder Ridge Vineyard on the Horse Heaven Hills (a Provence-like terrain) which has been consistently outstanding vintage after vintage.