2022 Duhig Grenache Napa Valley 750 ml

Harvest Duhig is responsible for the quality in some truly elegant and complex Napa Valley wines. We’re not just talking about her 20+ years as a winemaker at Caymus here: Some of our favorite wines that bear her fingerprints also bear her name—like the 2022 Duhig Grenache. 

This is a case study in the enchanting depth and balance that Grenache can achieve in Napa Valley. It strikes a tantalizing equilibrium between levity and richness, with red fruits that develop slowly, eventually reaching powerful intensity, layered over velvety tannins. 

“It’s a pure expression of the grape,” says Wine Access Unfiltered host Amanda McCrossin. “Very fruit-forward but with all of the spice and umami we typically find as well.”

In the right terroir, the commonly blended Grenache can produce lush, nuanced single-variety wines—and Suisun Valley has the right terroir. This valley, located between the Howell and Vaca Mountains, is around 1/10th the size of Napa Valley, but it shares the maritime climate and diurnal temperature swings that make Napa’s wines so dynamic. It’s why Caymus recently planted their flag in the region and began producing wines there. 

Along with overseeing quality control for Caymus’ partner vineyards, Duhig tends her own vineyard in Coombsville (where she does barefoot yoga while dogs and chickens roam free), so she knows quality farming when she sees it. For this wine, she selected a head-trained, dry-farmed vineyard, where breezes and low-vigor soils produce Grenache with an undeniable depth of flavor. 

In the past, Harvest has only sold her Grenache to her mailing list, so we’re thrilled we got some of the 2022 for Unfiltered Club members. It’s a wonderfully pure expression from an exceptional winemaker.