Winemaker Notes
This wine showcases intriguing flavors of raspberry, cherry, pomegranate, white pepper, and garrigue, crafted from a blend of estate-grown Alban, Tablas, and #3 clones. The berries were meticulously cluster-sorted and cold-soaked for seven days, followed by a ten-day fermentation with native yeast. The caps were gently punched down by hand twice daily. Aged for nine months in neutral French oak barrels.
Blend: 100% Grenache
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a serious wine, starting with cherry, strawberry and rose petal aromas that sail into an extremely textural palate of red fruit and pie crust flavors that are sliced by a rising acidity.
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Wine & Spirits
Rich and heady with red-cherry scents and spicy berry flavors, this is warm-climate in style, with just enough of an earthy kick to hold together the richness.
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.
Ranging from cool and foggy in the west to warm and dry in the east, the Santa Ynez Valley is a climatically diverse growing area. The most expansive AVA within the larger Santa Barbara County region, Santa Ynez is also home to a wide variety of soil types and geographical features. The appellation is further divided into four distinct sub-AVAs—Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon—each with its own defining characteristics.
A wide selection of grapes is planted here—more than sixty different varieties, and counting. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate in the chilly west, while Zinfandel, Rhône blends, and Bordeaux blends rule the arid east. Syrah is successful at both ends of the valley, with a lean and peppery, Old-World sensibility closer to the coast and lush berry fruit further inland.