Tir Na N'Og Old Vines Grenache 2004

Smooth, open-textured and fragrant with blackberry and currant fruit, this is a wine with real presence. Finishes with a peppery spice note and a hint of chocolate on a silky frame. Drink now through 2011.

Tir Na N'Og (meaning Land of the Youth) is a brand owned by importer John Larchet to honor his Irish heritage. The 2005 Old Vines Grenache is purple colored with a spicy nose of black cherry, black raspberry and chocolate. Ripe, sweet, and full-bodied to the point of opulence, it has a velvety texture, layers of flavor and 3-4 years of aging potential. Drink this lengthy Grenache through 2020.

Ruby-red. Spicy red and dark berry aromas boast impressive energy and clarity. Nervy strawberry and raspberry flavors are plenty sweet but possess very good structure and juicy acidity. No fat here. Picks up pungent floral pastille qualities on the finish, which displays excellent breadth and cut. Delicious already, but clearly built to age.

Tir na N'og, an Irish term meaning "land of the youth," has produced a blockbuster 2004 Grenache Old Vines boasting beautiful sweet black raspberry and cherry fruit intermixed with notions of flowers, licorice, and pepper. The wine is full-bodied with fabulous fruit purity, an expansive, opulent texture, and a whoppingly long finish. In spite of its richness, purity, and size, it possesses remarkable elegance. Drink it over the next 7-8 years.

Bright and jazzy, a lively mouthful of gorgeous blackberry and white pepper flavors that show plenty up front but get a little quiet on the finish. Drink now through 2011.

Rich, ripe and generous with its oak-accented blackberry, black cherry and black pepper flavors, this one grabs your lapels with tremendous depth to the flavors and impressive length, without extra weight on the palate. Best from 2006 through 2015.

A fabulous new offering from Australia, this brilliant Grenache carries lofty alcohol, but there is not a trace of heat because of the wine's extraordinary concentration. A dense ruby/purple color is followed by gorgeous aromas and flavors of flowers interwoven with raspberries, kirsch liqueur, licorice, and spicy pepper. Full-bodied, with a layered, multidimensional mouthfeel, it should drink well for 7-8 years.