William James Cellars
2007 Grenache, Santa Barbara County

GOLD MEDAL - San Francisco International Wine Competition
GOLD MEDAL / Best of Santa Barbara County - Central Coast Wine Competition

Grenache has long been a bit of an anonymous star among grape varieties, providing the bulk of the blend for France’s stunning Chateauneuf du Pape wines, as well as for simple Cote du Rhones that often represent great values. In recent years however, especially, in California, it has been allowed to shine as a single varietal wine, where is pure fruit, light color, and firm tannin make it a unique tasting experience.  Today’s offering, from the William James Cellars in Santa Barbara County, and from the stunning 2007 vintage, fits all of our criteria: interesting, well-made delicious wine, that over-delivers on quality for the price.  This is a value you don’t want to miss out on!

The 2007 William James Grenache is crimson in the glass, with Grenache’s typical light color.  The nose offers ripe cherry, spice, and strawberry pie aromas that gush from the glass.  The palate is mouth-filling yet not too heavy, with blackberry, vanilla, plum, spice and candy flavors offering layers of complexity.  Rustic, firm tannins extend the finish, reminiscent of wine from the Rhone Valley, yet with plenty of California fruit.  This is an intense wine by any standard, but for $20 you just don’t see this kind of richness and concentration.  Stock this one up in your cellar, and knock the socks off of your friends that think a rich wine needs to be purple and tooth staining!

Appellation:  Santa Barbara County
Vineyard Designation Source:  Camp 4, Los Olivos
Alcohol:  15.8%
Case Production:  300

About The Winery...

William James Cellars acquires long term contracts from Santa Barbara County appellations, with an emphasis in the Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley to create premium varietals to delight the changing palates of today's wine enthusiast. With its diversity of microclimates and soil, Santa Barbara County has the potential to equal the reputation of the world’s finest winemaking regions. Our small production winery focuses primarily on Chardonnay, Grenache, Syrah and Pinot Noir working closely with select growers who are willing to meet the specific high quality parameters through custom farming techniques.

Robin Bogue with the help of her dad, Bill, run the day to day business at William James Cellars. With energy and passion, this dynamic father-daughter duo is wholly committed to the quality of wines produced at William James Cellars. From winemaking and viticulture, to sales and marketing, Robin and Bill are determined to build a strong foundation to take William James Cellars to even greater heights.

Learn more at www.williamjamescellars.com.

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