2016 “The Offering” - Sans Liege Wines

Cranberry compote, walnut shell, chopped date. Ripe boysenberry, olive tapenade, black licorice. Wild lavender and blooming violet, hot charcoal and smoked tire. Bold and brash fruit immediately asserts dominance, dripping oodles of bruised strawberry, smashed blueberry, and warm fig with unapologetic power. Expressive florals boom in contrast to bramble and dried shrubs, slowly giving way to chewing tobacco and star anise. Salt and pepper muddle with meat char and ash finishing quite tart, dry, and savory. Full bodied and remarkably expressive with medium tannin and acidity barely keeping control over the intense horsepower. This 2016 "The Offering" by Sans Liege is a rugged and raw Rhone blend from Santa Barbara County.

While often thought of as a cool climate region Santa Barbara County truly has the potential to grow high quality examples of nearly any grape variety. This bottling, crafted by Sans Liege using Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and a touch of Viognier sourced from multiple vineyards in and around Santa Barbara, proves that even warm climate Rhone grapes can achieve greatness in the SBC. This wine is concentrated and dense yet still quite balanced and bright, not completely giving up poise or structure in its pursuit of measured intensity. It is certainly big and almost monolithic yet is has just enough pent up energy to keep it from coming off as overly oppressive. This is decidedly new world and modern in style but manages to cling faintly yet unmistakably to its old world inspiration. A unique and interesting take on a Southern Rhone style blend from California.