Winemaker Notes
The 2020 Epiphany Rodney's Vineyard Grenache offers notes of black fruit, dark chocolate, vanilla, anise, and lavender.
Grenache's spice lends itself to be paired with spiced and herb-heavy dishes. Roasted meat and vegetables or a grilled tuna steak are natural choices.
Blend: 90% Grenache, 10% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the reds, the 2020 Grenache Rodney's Vineyard has lots of up-front black cherry and gamey black fruits to go with medium-bodied richness, a layered, elegant, seamless mouthfeel, good concentration, and complex notes of peppery herbs and underbrush. Based on 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah that saw a splash of stems and 21 months in 14% new 500-liter puncheons, it’s well worth seeking out and will give many an impressive Châteauneuf du Pape a run for their money.
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Wine Enthusiast
A lightly earthy element of iron shavings lingers behind the aromas of cran-raspberry and French toast spice on the nose of this bottling. Pomegranate, rose and white pepper flavors show on the dry, solidly tense palate.
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.