PRESS
GRENACHE
2017 Santa Barbara Highlands Tribute to Grace
| Grapes | Grenache |
| Colour | Red |
| Origin | USA, California |
| Other | Bio-dynamic |
| District | Santa Barbara Highlands |
| ABV | 14.5% |
Very sweet and transparent, and really not too unlike Ch Rayas! White pepper, massive sweetness and real purity. Not quite as intense and long as Ch Rayas, but a great attempt. Drinking range: 2022 - 2028 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Oct 2022)
Alternatively, we may well have some bottles in one of our shops - why not give us a call on 0207 244 0522 or send an email to: sales@leaandsandeman.co.uk.
Or, check the RELATED PRODUCTS below for different vintages or wines of a similar style.
Angela Osbourne's raison d'être as a winemaker is replicating a bottle of Château Rayas she had many years ago, and finding the truest expression of Grenache possible, and my word she has got very close with this wine. The fruit here is from a single vineyard 3,500ft above sea level - high toned and with more complexity than many a Grenache found from lower elevations. Perfumed, delicate and elegant - you get a real sense of the high altitude of the vineyard here. Macerated strawberries and rhubarb, with a gentle peppery character and silky, gossamer like tannins, this is simply delicious. L&S (Jan 2022)
Love this wine - surely one of the best Grenaches outside of the Rhône. So delicate, fresh, complex and drinkable. Not a cheap wine at but compared to Châteauneuf, it’s not overpriced. Love it.Matt Walls www.mattwalls.co.uk (Aug 2022)
Cuyama Valley, Sierra Madre Mountains., 3500 feet elevation. “Mesa Norte” block, 9.5 acre planting - Grenache clone Tablas A, planted on 101-14 rootstock. Decomposed granite and clay loam, with large rocks of schist, quartzite, basalt and gneiss. Planted in 2000, spacing at 8 x 5. Native ferment, foot-tread daily for 13 days. Pressed on day 14. 57% whole cluster., 10 month èlevage in french barrique and 500L puncheon (16% new).
A Tribute to Grace
'A Tribute to Grace' is winemaker Angela Osborne's project to craft wines which focus on the aromatic and silky qualities of Grenache. The 'Grace' in the name is not only a reference to her beloved grandmother but is a mantra for Angela’s life and approach to winemaking. Grace is also what Angela finds in her treasured Grenache, particularly in the wine that inspires her: 1999 Château Rayas.
A native of Auckland, New Zealand, Angela fell in love with the storytelling of wine when working in wine retail while also studying film-making. In the six years Angela worked in retail, she never came across a single-varietal bottling of Grenache, however, after a three-month internship in 2002 at Simi winery in Sonoma County, California, she finally had her epiphany moment after tasting a Dry Creek Valley Grenache.
Returning home, Angela knew that she had to produce her own expression of this intriguing variety but wouldn’t be able to do so in New Zealand’s cooler, unsuitable climate. She considered several vineyard locations in Europe and Southern Australia, but after a brief stint in London, Angela returned to California in 2006, settling in Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara is probably best-known for producing Pinot and Chardonnay, but is also capable of producing world class expressions of Rhône varietals, which have been cultivated in California for over 100 years.
The 'Santa Barbara Highlands' vineyard sits at 3500 feet elevation in the Sierra Madre mountains on a layer of decomposed granite and clay loam. Here, the 17-year-old “Tablas A” clone produces a vibrant, well-balanced expression of Grenache, full of rhubarb, red berries, and baking spices.
The 'Shake Ridge' vineyard in the Sierra Foothills AVA is at 1700 feet elevation on a bed of rose quartz. The combination of soil profile and diurnal temperature shift (around 10°C) results in a unique expression of Angela’s favourite clone (362), which is delicate, pure, and haunting.
Site selection is the key, and dictates the differences of each wine. Angela employs restraint in the cellar, working with native yeasts and to biodynamic principals (including the lunar calendar). The wines are elegant, nuanced and complex, and in shape more like Pinot Noir than the boisterous styles of the southern Rhône.
- For full delivery details see our Delivery page.
- We offer free nationwide* delivery for all orders over £150 with our own vans. We also offer an express delivery service for an additional charge.
- Order & Collect from any of our 5 London shops. Order by Midnight for collection the next working day from 11am.
- Private wine storage: we offer a full In Bond and Duty Paid private wine storage service - find out more here.
RELATED PRODUCTS
2018 GRENACHE Shake Ridge Ranch Tribute to Grace
California USA 13.5% Red
Grenache.
From the Sierra Foothills, the 2018 Grenache Shake Ridge Ranch is all Grenache that was fermented with 31% stems and brought up in 24% new French oak. Burgundian notes of ripe cherry and strawberry fruits give way to mor...(read more)
Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com
2018 GRENACHE Santa Barbara Highlands Tribute to Grace
Santa Barbara Highlands California USA 14.5% Red
Grenache. Magnums
Angela Osborne's light hand brings forth the high-desert intrigue of this vineyard in the Cuyama Valley. Very light in color, the wine carries aromas of iron and hardpan into waves of subtle cherry, rose and chaparral. T...(read more)
The Wine Enthusiast www.winemag.comORDER COLLECT
ORDER ONLINE AND COLLECT FROM ONE OF OUR SHOPS