30 Days of Rosé | #14 | A Tribute To Grace | Rosé of Grenache | Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard | 2016 | 13.1% ABV | $23.99

Number 14 of our 30 Days of Rosé is one of the most sought after Rosé wines we get – A Tribute To Grace.

Only a handful of cases of this muchly sought after Rosé make it’s way over from Angela, most of it is instantly snapped up by people in the industry and repeat customers waiting for it.

This wine quickly sells itself every year without marketing it so if you want a bottle (which you do!!) of Angela’s Rosé, get yours before they are gone!

From the bottle:

This wine is a tribute to Grace, my Grandmother, whose quiet strength and guidance has taught me the true meaning of her name.  As my own journey unfolds, grace has become me most revered of nature’s atributes, thus making Grenache the perfect medium.

To grace and Grace,

–  Angela Osborne | Winemaker

 

From gracewinecompany.com:

A Tribute To Grace Wine Company is dedicated to crafting authentic expressions of Grenache.

All wines are single-vineyard sourced to maintain authenticity, and remain 100% Grenache.

Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard, Cuyama Valley, Santa Barbara County

The Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard is situated 33 miles east of Santa Barbara, in the Sierra Madre Mountains. Sitting at 3200 feet elevation, the setting is home to sand, brush, exposed rock, and the odd dingo-type wild dog. And grapes. On my first visit to the vineyard (as pictured in this photo), my mother and I were driving the 33-highway route north from Ojai and were beginning to wonder if we had indeed entered the famed Ojai vortex, so foreign was the setting. We hadn’t seen a single soul in over an hour – in fact nothing living save the odd Matilija mountain Poppy. Upwards we continued to climb, until finally we rounded yet another hairpin-bend and both gasped. Nestled below, amidst a vast sea of sand, were row upon row of vibrant vines.

And so is the setting for this incredible vineyard. Arid and blazing hot in the summertime, snow-laden and sleepy in the wintertime. Not that the summer months see an influx of people, I believe the permanent population of Ventucopa is 59…

I have an ongoing lease of three rows in this remarkable vineyard, which is owned by Laetitia Vineyard and Winery, and nurtured by their famed vineyard manager Lino Bozzano. The entire vineyard is managed sustainably, and planted according to particular site-specificity. Although there are a total of 12 varieties planted, the Grenache plantings represent only 4% of the total vineyard – with five different Grenache clones planted. I am one of five winemakers currently producing wine from this block, and the difference in the wines we each produce speaks volumes as to the part man plays in winemaking.

~ Grace’s Story ~

I am a New Zealand born winemaker who moved to California in 2006 with the dream of making Grenache. In the land from which I stem, the climate is too cool to ripen this sun-loving beauty. And so began my search: northern Spain, southern France, southern Australia, California…

Abundant sunshine and entrepreneurial spirit led me to the latter, and in 2007 I sourced my first Grenache fruit from the Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard. Nestled high above the Pacific Ocean and 33 miles inland, this high-desert vineyard provided the perfect balance of heat and light I sought.

I chose to name my label after two of my favourite things: my Grandmother Grace, and my most beloved attribute. My winemaking intention is to capture this spirit, and stay as close to nature as humanly possible. The trio is completed by the grape itself, which to me encapsulates grace.

To grace and Grace,

 – Angela Osborne

 

~ The Day My Toe Took Over ~

My first Thanksgiving in California in 2006 saw me strolling the sands of Moonlight Beach, Encinitas. I was thinking of my Nana Grace, and how much she would love this american tradition ~ and was drawn to write ‘grace’ in the sand with the big toe of my right foot. When I stood back and looked at it, I realized this would be my label: a tribute to grace.

Luckily for me, my dear and most talented friend Nicole Sykes advised me against using this actual image for my label, and instead provided the graceful design that has adorned each bottle since 2007. The Queen Anne’s Lace motif comes from a dried flower she found in a Dublin vintage market, symbolizing simplicity, femininity and the circle of grace.