Winemaker Notes
Suave and seductive. Lifted incense and beautiful earthy notes alongside dark raspberry and cacao-dusted cherry. A bold wine from a bold vintage. Broad and dense mid-palate density with a lovely counterbalance of fine and dusty structure. Finishes long with a great breath of freshness.
Blend: 96% Grenache, 4% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2020 Grenache is powerful, dense and wonderfully concentrated to the core. Varietal character is amplified in the way only few sites in Santa Barbara can achieve. Black cherry, plum, mocha, chocolate and licorice resonate across the palate, showing all of the natural radiance of the year. This super-size Grenache is going to need a few years to settle down. Even so, it sure is impressive today.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 96% Grenache and 4% Syrah, the 2020 Grenache offers lots of ripe strawberry and darker raspberry fruits as well as spring flowers and peppery spice. It's medium-bodied on the palate, with good concentration, a pure, elegant mouthfeel, lots of tannins, and a great finish.
Rating: 93+
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.
Accounting for only ten percent of the greater Santa Ynez AVA, Ballard Canyon’s north-south orientation provides an ideal pattern of sunshine and martime fog for producing excellent Syrah. While Syrah is planted to half of the total AVA acreage, an additional third is dedicated to other Rhône varieties, red and white.