Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2017 Grenache Larner Vineyard is laced with the essence of sweet red cherry, pomegranate, mint and blood orange, that are all kicked up a few notches by bright acids. The 2017 needs a few years in bottle to be at its best, but it is very clearly a stunning wine just the same.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the reds, the 2017 Grenache Larner Vineyard checks in as a blend of 88% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 2% Viognier sourced all from the Larner Vineyard in Ballard Canyon, and aged 18 months in neutral puncheons. Vivid blackberry fruits, notes of ground pepper, violets, and ground herbs, medium to full body, and remarkable purity of fruit all make for an incredibly compelling Grenache blend. However, it’s firm, focused, and concentrated on the palate, so give it a year or two.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Grenache Larner Vineyard is a blend of 88% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 2% Viognier and was bottled a couple days before I tasted it. Deep ruby-purple, it's a bit shy at the moment, hinting at dusty earth, aniseed, garrigue and floral tinges over a dense core of black and blue fruit preserves. The palate is full-bodied—a very rich, dense style of Grenache—with rich fruits, firm, chewy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and savory.
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.