2018 Clendenen Family Vineyards Grenache Rancho La Cuna Santa Ynez Valley

From the pioneering hands of Jim Clendenen’s legacy comes the 2018 Clendenen Family Vineyards Grenache Rancho La Cuna, a refined and characterful red from Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, USA. Bottled under the small, passion-driven Clendenen Family label rather than the larger Au Bon Climat brand, this Grenache is crafted in tiny quantities and aimed squarely at enthusiasts who value nuance over volume. It marries Californian sunshine with a decidedly Old World sensibility, emphasizing balance, finesse, and longevity over sheer power.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2018 Grenache from Rancho La Cuna typically shows a vibrant, translucent ruby color with a slight garnet rim as it begins to evolve with a few years of bottle age. The nose is lifted and aromatic rather than heavy, with red fruits at the core—think wild strawberry, raspberry, and red cherry—layered with dried rose petals, white pepper, and hints of garrigue-like herbs (thyme, rosemary) alongside subtle notes of orange zest and warm earth. On the palate, this wine leans toward elegance and freshness rather than density. The texture is silky and medium‑bodied, with pure red fruit flavors framed by fine, chalky tannins and a lively, natural acidity that keeps everything focused. Savory notes of spice, dried herbs, and a touch of tea leaf or leather add complexity as the wine opens in the glass. The finish is long, graceful, and subtly mineral, suggesting a wine that will reward both early enjoyment and short- to medium‑term cellaring. Properly stored, this 2018 Grenache should drink beautifully over the next 6–10 years from vintage, gaining more savory and tertiary nuances with time.

Production
Rancho La Cuna lies in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, where cool Pacific breezes and a long growing season allow Grenache to ripen slowly while retaining bright acidity. The soils in this area tend to be well‑drained, often a mix of sand, loam, and marine influences, which naturally limit vigor and concentrate flavor. True to the Clendenen Family philosophy, the fruit for this wine is likely hand‑harvested at moderate sugar levels to preserve freshness and aromatic complexity. In the cellar, Jim Clendenen’s approach is classically influenced, favoring gentle extraction to highlight finesse over power: whole-berry or partial whole-cluster fermentations are often used for Grenache to bring lift and spice, followed by aging in carefully selected French oak barrels, with a modest use of new oak so that the purity of the fruit and the character of the site remain at the forefront.

Food & Serving
This style of Grenache is wonderfully versatile at the table. It shines with Mediterranean‑inspired dishes—grilled lamb chops with rosemary, herbed roast chicken, pork tenderloin with fennel, or hearty vegetable dishes such as ratatouille, roasted peppers, and eggplant. It also pairs nicely with charcuterie, aged semi‑hard cheeses, and mushroom‑based dishes where its savory notes can really play. Serve slightly below room temperature, around 15–17°C (59–63°F), to emphasize its freshness and aromatic lift. A short decant of 30–45 minutes helps the wine open and integrate, especially in its youth, but extended aeration is not necessary for enjoyment.

Producer
Clendenen Family Vineyards is the personal, small‑scale project of the late Jim Clendenen, the iconic winemaker behind Au Bon Climat in Santa Barbara County. Founded in 2000, the label allowed him to step away from commercial constraints and explore more unusual varieties, single sites, and long‑aging, idiosyncratic styles—often holding wines in barrel for far longer than is typical, simply because he believed it made better, more soulful wines. While Au Bon Climat helped define the modern identity of Santa Barbara, particularly for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Clendenen Family Vineyards represents Jim’s purest artistic expression, produced in tiny quantities, the vast majority of which remain in the US and are typically available only through the Au Bon Climat Wine Club. Highly regarded by critics such as Antonio Galloni, these wines have become sought‑after collectibles for enthusiasts who appreciate their combination of Old World restraint and New World clarity of fruit.

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