Winemaker Notes
Blend: 96% Grenache, 4% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Winemaker Randall Grahm combines 96% Grenache with 4% Syrah, ensuring the stems are fully lignified for 50% whole cluster fermentation in stainless steel. Aged 12 months in a combination of used puncheons and stainless. Alluring fruit aromas of strawberry and cherry with raspberry nuanced by white pepper, rose petal florals and tangerine peel. Medium-bodied with perfectly ripe and nicely grippy tannins, it gives way to emerging blue fruit fireworks with bright, juicy raspberry and cranberry fruit and wild herbs through a salty mineral finish that builds with intensity balanced by fresh citrusy acidity—a splendidly complete wine.
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James Suckling
A crunchy and fresh grenache with strawberry, crushed stone and hibiscus character. Orange peel as well. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins. Rich but light at the same time.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a juicy style of Grenache, driven by cherry and strawberry aromas that are cut by damp rocks and baking spice elements. Those fruit flavors pick up a baked quality on the palate, which is dusted in crushed gravel and sagebrush.
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Wine Spectator
Precise and sleekly structured, with handsome raspberry, cherry and smoked pepper flavors that finish with refined tannins. Drink now through 2032.
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.
A lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.