Winemaker Notes
Tea Rose, Fennel seed and Temple Incense.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Angela Osborne is a Grenache obsessive, and this exceptionally pale example is fascinating. Intense crispy bacon aromas, light-bodied but silky on the palate; ends with a subtle bitter twist. Has a distinctly stemmy, white pepper edge from the 50% whole cluster, plus a long, herbal, smoky finish. Highly distinctive; if you like it, you’ll love it. A Grenache stylistically akin to Domaine des Tours from the Rayas stable.
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Wine Enthusiast
A very transparent shade of rusty red in the glass, this bottling shows how compelling Grenache can be in a lighter style. Aromas of red cherry, salt-and-pepper spice and tanned leather show on the nose. It's clean and savory on the palate, full of dried carnations, hibiscus, white pepper and a touch of dill. Editors’ Choice
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Wine & Spirits
The Highlands Vineyard rises to 3,000 feet, a site with sunny days and cold nights that produced a brisk and intriguingly spicy grenache in 2015. Angela Osborne considered the stems ripe enough to include 78 percent whole clusters in a long, slow fermentation without added yeasts. She foot-treads the grapes twice a day, extracting a light color and a firm, tart strawberry flavor surrounded by rooty tannins. The tea-like notes suggest a match with roast duck, or sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Giving a very pale, almost rose ruby-purple color, the 2015 Grenache Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard has a faint nose of red currants and spice box with pepper and dried herbs notions, plus a touch of underbrush. The medium-bodied palate delivers a lovely rounded texture and harmonious freshness to support the subtle red fruit and spice layers, finishing peppery.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
With a dry and mild climate cooled significantly by moist ocean fog and breezes, Santa Barbara County is a grape-grower’s dream. Part of the larger Central Coast appellation, Santa Barbara is home to Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. The conditions here provide an opportunity for nearly effortless production of high-quality cool-climate Central Coast wines. This is also the site of the 2004 film Sideways, which caused Pinot Noir’s popularity to skyrocket and brought new acclaim to the region.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the stars of Santa Barbara, producing wines marked by racy acidity. Crisp Sauvignon Blanc and savory Syrah are also important. The region is home to many young and enthusiastic winemakers eager to experiment with less common varieties including Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau Gris, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, making it an exciting area to watch.