GRENACHE

2017 Shake Ridge Ranch Tribute to Grace

IN STOCK
Grapes Grenache
Colour Red
Origin USA, California
Other Bio-dynamic
ABV 14.5%

If you want to compare Angela's Grenache to the best Pinot Noir, then consider her Shake Ridge bottling to be her Grand Cru Burgundy. From a vineyard sitting atop Sutter Creek in the Sierra Foothills, this parcel is littered with large lumps of rose-quartz crystal that reflect the sunlight up to the grapes, lengthening the ripening period. The resulting wine is ethereal and haunting - so elegant and refined. Rhubarb, red cherries, strawberry, rose petal and a touch of orange dance across the palate, with those incredibly fine tannins again. This is really special and not to be missed. L&S (Jan 2022)

*Case price discount: Mix any 12 bottles of wine (or 9 litre equivalent) or 6 bottles of Champagne, Spirits, Sweet Wine or Fortified (4.5 litres) to get the discounted 'case price' for each bottle.

One of the more expensive wines in the lineup, the 2017 Grenache Shake Ridge Ranch comes from a site in the Sierra Foothills and was two-thirds destemmed and brought up in 24% new French oak. It has a wonderful yet subtle bouquet of ripe cherries, macerated strawberries, crushed rocks, and white flowers that develops beautifully with time in the glass. Rich, medium-bodied, and incredibly elegant, it just glides over the palate and has an awesome texture. It's not for the lovers of big, powerful Grenache, but it’s flawlessly balanced, with fine tannins and a great finish. Rating: 94 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Oct 2019)

The 2017 Grenache Shake Ridge Ranch comes across as faded and lacking in freshness and the complexity I am used to seeing here. There is no getting around the feeling of a wine that feels shocked by the heat of the year, even though this fruit was picked in early October. Drinking range: 2019 - 2021 Rating: 87 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Sept 2019)

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.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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