03 Apr Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Acquiesce Christina’s Outlier 2022 Grenache, Lodi
I have been a fan of Acquiesce wines since the first time I tried them in 2020. I have loved the Bourboulenc, the Picpoul, the Clairette Blanche, and the Grenache Blanc, as well as the Grenache rosé. And when I tasted the Acquiesce Christina’s Outlier 2022 Grenache, I fell in love again. The color was stunning, the flavor was delicious, and the wine was super quaffable. That is why the Acquiesce Christina’s Outlier 2022 Grenache, Lodi is the Please The Palate wine of the week.
About Acquiesce Outlier
Located in Lodi, California, Acquiesce started as a white wine-only house. When owners Sue and Rodney Tipton bought their 18-acre property in 2003 it was planted with Zinfandel. But after falling love with with a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Sue pulled out the Zinfandel and planted 10.5 acres to six white Rhone grapes. With a focus on white wines, Acquiesce would be an outlier in Lodi which is dominated by red wines. However, Sue also planted 1.5 acres of Grenache Noir for rosé wines. But a couple years ago, Acquiesce winemaker Christina Lopez decided to make another outlier. She made the first Acquiesce red wine, a Grenache, and aptly named it Outlier. Now a small amount of the Grenache grapes are set aside each year for Christina to make the Outlier Grenache.
Tasting Notes
The grapes were handpicked and hand sorted in the early morning. Approximately 30% of the fruit was left whole cluster, with the remaining 70% crushed and de-stemmed. The grapes were pressed just before fully fermenting dry. The free run juice finished fermentation in tank while whole cluster pressings were finished in a 500 liter puncheon. The wine was racked once and bottled early to retain freshness.
The finished wine is a clear, vibrant pomegranate pink color. It almost looks like it could be a dark rosé wine. The wine has lively notes of pomegranate, cherry, raspberry, and cranberry. The first sip of the wine offers savory brown spice notes, followed by all the red fruits found on the nose. On the palate, the wine has smooth tannins and textured acidity and a long finish.
Food Pairing
This delicious Grenache is a super drinkable wine, and even better with a slight chill on it. It can be enjoyed casually with pizza, burgers, BBQ, fajitas, and more.
Where to Purchase
The Acquiesce Christina’s Outlier 2022 Grenache retails for $32 and is available directly at Acquiesce Winery.
Meet The Winemaker
Read about Acquiesce Winery in a story I originally wrote for the Napa Valley Register.
Get to know Acquiesce Owner Sue Tipton in 30 questions on the Wine Soundtrack USA podcast.
Videos To Watch
Check out the Crush On This Episode: The Versatility of Wine – One Grape, Five Wines in which we shared five wines by Acquiesce all made from Grenache Noir/Grenache Blanc, including the Outlier Grenache.