2018 Grenache
ESTATE GROWN - SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
The 2018 Grenache offers a brilliant expression of our estate terroir. Here, ample sun exposure produces fully developed flavors while cool marine breezes ensure a core of refreshing acidity. The result is a Grenache with an abundance of pure varietal character.
This wine offers high-toned aromas of strawberry cream, vanilla, cedar and anise. A smooth, bright palate unfolds with layered flavors of raspberry, cranberry, black cherry and sweet oak. Notes of eucalyptus and savory spice add depth to a juicy finish.
In Stock
Wine Specs
Vintage
2018
Varietal
Grenache
Appellation
Santa Ynez
Acid
.55
pH
3.5
Aging
20 months in French oak barrels
Alcohol %
14.5
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
The 2018 Grenache offers high-toned aromas of strawberry cream, vanilla, cedar and anise. A smooth, bright palate unfolds with layered flavors of raspberry, cranberry, black cherry and sweet oak. Notes of eucalyptus and savory spice add depth to a juicy finish.
Vineyard Notes
The 35-acre Brick Barn estate vineyard lies just north of the Santa Ynez River in a largely unexplored winegrowing corridor near the city of Buellton in the western Santa Ynez Valley. With the Pacific Ocean just 10 miles away, the marine influence is forceful, yet solar exposure remains persistent—a providential combination that produces fruit with extraordinary dimension. This wine is a blend of all three Grenache blocks and clones at our estate: Block 15 (Clone 513), Block 16 (Clone 362) and Block 17 (Clone 136). These blocks are planted along an upper highland at an elevation of 550 feet. Here, rocky loam and limestone soils impart qualities of intensity and finesse. Variations in sun exposure from block to block allow for added depth and complexity in the final blend.
Winemaker Notes
After night harvesting, the fruit was destemmed and cold soaked for three days to initiate a gentle extraction of color and flavor. The wine was then fermented in small open-top bins, with two punchdowns and one pumpover applied daily to ensure continued balanced extraction and aeration. A small portion of the fruit was whole cluster fermented for the development of savory spice character. After gentle pressing, the wine was settled and racked to French oak barrels, where it aged for 20 months prior to final blending and bottling. The barrels featured 20 percent new oak for added complexity and flavor dimension.
Food Pairing Notes
The 2018 Grenache makes a great match for savory medium-weight fare, including lamb chops, roast beef and vegetable stew.