A Tribute to Grace
A Tribute to Grace, named for winemaker Angela Osborne’s grandmother, is the culmination of a winding road to winemaking. Angela studied film in her native New Zealand and worked at a wine shop to pay the bills. While she enjoyed wine, it was not her passion. Angela was ready to pursue her film career when a winemaker friend found her a harvest job and insisted that she move to California to take it. Once there, she discovered Grenache and fell hard for the grape that would later become the singular focus of her winemaking. Her wines are ethereal and sheer, allowing the land to shine through the nuanced flavors. This finesse has led to many accolades for Angela, most notably as one of Jon Bonné’s 2015 San Francisco Chronicle Winemakers to Watch.
Angela’s search for graceful Grenache has led her to vineyards from Santa Barbara to the Sierra Foothills. A Tribute to Grace is made from sustainably-farmed grapes with an eye towards Biodynamics. Angela’s mindfulness continues to her delicate handling of wine, which includes the use of neutral oak and only small sulfur additions at bottling for stability.
Vineyards & Viticulture
WHERE GRACE GROWS
SANTA BARBARA HIGHLANDS VINEYARD, CUYAMA VALLEY, SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
• 33 miles east of Santa Barbara in the Sierra Madre Mountains
• 3200 ft. elevation
• Owned by Laetitia Vineyard and Winery, Angela has an ongoing lease of three rows
• Farmed by Lino Bozzano
• Practicing Sustainable farming
• Grenache makes up 4% of the vineyards’ planting – with five different Grenache clones planted
• Angela is one of five winemakers producing wine from this block
SHAKE RIDGE RANCH, SIERRA FOOTHILLS, AMADOR COUNTY
• Planted in 2001 by Ann Kramer
• 1650-1810 ft. elevation
• Located atop a ridge on the Shake Ridge Road in Amador County
• Practicing Organic farming
• Extreme Diurnal shifts (up to 50’F)
• Angela was first introduced to this site in 2011
• Grace’s block is planted to Angela’s favorite clone 362
• Rose quartz soils
BESSON VINEYARD, HECKER PASS, SANTA CLARA COUNTY
• Planted in 1910 and brought to fame by Randall Graham with his Clos de Gilroy Grenache
• Angela was first offered fruit in 2013
• Owned and farmed by third-generation farmer George Besson Jr.
• Old vines, head-trained spaced 8’ x ‘6
• Gravelly clay loam soil
• Dry-farmed and practicing organic
• Grace’s block sits on the western side of the property against an old riverbed with gentle slopes
HOFER VINEYARD, RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CUCAMONGA VALLEY
• Historic site located 42 miles east of Los Angeles in the former viticultural wonderland of Rancho Cucamonga
• 6 acres of the Hofer vineyard is surrounded by thick stone walls with ancient Eucalyptus Trees and Pink Peppercorn Trees
• 77-year-old, tall, head-trained Grenache vines
• Paul Hofer III is the current owner
• Paul’s grandfather planted the original vines in the late 1800s
• When prohibition hit, they uprooted their Muscatel and Rosé of Peru and planted Grenache
• Angela was introduced to this site in 2014
VIE CAPRICE VINEYARD, SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
• The Vie Caprice vineyard is situated in the eastern part of the Santa Ynez Valley
• Planted in 2008 entirely to Alban clone Grenache,
• 87 gently sloping rows planted in Santa Ynez fine sandy loam
• Just under 2 acres planted with 5’ x 4’ spacing for healthy competition between vines
• Clusters are tiny, dark, and exuberantly expressive, with the fine structure
• As of 2021 – Angela signed a lease for the entire vineyard – fulfilling the grace monopole dream
• Angela hired local legend Chris King to oversee farming, who farms organically by nature
MORRO VIEW VINEYARD, EDNA VALLEY
• Angela’s husband discovered this vineyard in 2014 on a ride home from delivery grapes in Edna Valley
• Certified organic farming
• Established in 2009 by the legendary Terry Spizer
• 10-acres of vine with great biodiversity in and around the vineyard with oak and olive trees
• Planted to Angela’s favorite clone 362 Grenache, olives, and truffles
• This is the coolest-climate site in the Grace lineup
SPEAR VINEYARD, STA. RITA HILLS
• Certified Organic farming
• Planted in 2013 by vigneron Ofer Shepher
• 38-acres planted to mostly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with small amounts of Syrah and Grenache
• Sandy soils
• 2019 is the final vintage Grace will be making from Spear Vineyard