2015 Lightning Wines Grenache California 750 ml

A Roadside Shack and the California Grenache of the Future

We were heading up Highway 12 on our way to Sonoma Square, zooming past farm stands, apple orchards, and rutted dirt roads, when out of the corner of our eye we saw something that made us slam on the brakes. On the side on the road next to a folksy-looking general store sat a tiny shop with a corrugated metal roof. On top, in big brown letters were the words “The Rhône Room.” We turned the car around, parked, and stepped inside.

When we walked back out an hour and a half later, we had discovered one of the most luscious, fruit-forward, and vibrant Grenaches in recent memory, crafted by a protegé of Andy Erickson, Michel Rolland, and Helen Keplinger—available today for just $22.99 on cases.

Inside the shop, the place was covered floor to ceiling in bottles: some of the greatest Châteauneuf-du-Papes and Hermitages, plus top Rhône blends from around the world, crammed into this woodsy, intimate shack. We knew right away we’d stumbled on a gold mine.

The guy behind the counter, an accomplished collector in his own right, said he wanted us to taste a Grenache that had recently blown him away. We smiled, gleefully anticipating a full-bodied Vacqueyras—or maybe a top McClaren Vale release. What we were treated to instead was the 2015 Lightning Wines Grenache, a dynamic and ethereal red we’ve been reaching for instead of Pinot Noir ever since.

Juicy and rich on the attack, packed with bright raspberry, plum, and strawberry, it settled into velvety and lush mid-palate groove edged with sweet spice and white pepper. We were hooked. Though we’d tasted a half-dozen wines by the end of our visit, it was the Lightning Grenache we walked out of the store with. $50 seemed like a fair deal for this kind of velvety, vibrant elegance.

Ever since we’ve been stalking winemaker Randy Hester, who produces Lightning Wines with his wife, Brooke.

In 2006, when Randy Hester came to Napa Valley, he quickly zeroed in on who to pay attention to in the winemaking pantheon of local greats. That focus brought him into the sphere of great winemakers like Erickson, Rolland, and Keplinger, and Hester became a fixture at some of the Valley’s top wineries: Colgin, Realm, Cakebread, Caldwell, and Marciano. He now applies a master’s touch to Rhône varieties sourced from some of the top sites in Northern California.

The Grenache grape was his first love, and this bottle is one he lavishes attention and care on. Where other California winemakers see lightness and rusticity in Grenache, Randy treats it like Pinot Noir, emphasizing balance, aromatics, grace, and precision. He doesn’t let it hang on the vine too long, picking earlier than others and taming tannins through sur lie aging and battonage.

If you want to taste the future of California Grenache, plush but superbly structured, or just want a break from strawberry-laden Pinot noirs, this bottle is it.