Wild raspberry, sagebrush, candied cherry. Fresh blueberry, decomposing violet, kirsch. Wet lavender and garrigue, chopped fennel and herbal tea. Crunchy boysenberry, red plum, and bruised strawberry erupt in a surprisingly pronounced and high toned bouquet, trying their darndest to fend off fragrant rosemary, tarragon, and savory herbs. Dry lake bed and parched soil sit ever-present beneath the initial expansive attack as evaporated salt water adds a beautiful tinge of earthy salinity. Ultra-subtle cardamom and nutmeg peak through to hint at neutral barrel élevage as soft silky tannin and balanced acidity round out the palate. Fresh, edgy, and remarkably delicious. This 2017 "Love Among the Ruins" Santa Rita Hills Grenache by Babcock Winery is a wonderfully creative and complex cool-climate California Rhone.

Grenache is a late ripening variety that often thrives in extremely hot and dry conditions. While it typically has difficulty ripening in anything but the warmest possible climates Grenache has recently been popping up in some of the cooler more coastal appellations of California. This bottling, crafted by Babcock Winery using Grenache sourced from within Santa Barbara's cool Santa Rita Hills appellation, is an amazing achievement for a region once thought to be too cold to grow any wine grapes at all. Thanks to California's extremely long growing season the fruit here has managed to ripen fully and completely without any signs of desiccation, while also allowing for the development of tremendous herbal and earthy nuance. This wine emits a unique sense of delicate power and an almost ethereal quality rarely found in most California Rhones, yet the typicity and expression of place here are nearly unflappable. This is an extremely unique and well executed wine that has left us very impressed.