Renegade Wines Newsletter

2025 Jennifer Gray Wine Grenache Blanc
(Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara)
$34

It began with an email from Jennifer Gray; two actually as we had missed her first one. The email explained while she was -and is- the cellar master at Story of Soil, she had recently bottled her first vintage and would like to bring the wines around to Renegade for a tasting. We happily agreed and a few days later she was at our shop, in person, pouring her wines.

While her Rose was really good, and her Sauvignon Blanc bordered on Excellent, it was the Grenache Blanc that stole the show; the wine that WOWed us.

It started with seductive aromas of orchard fruit mingling with exotic citrus followed by lemon verbena, wintergreen, lemongrass. A first sip revealed a beguiling texture that filled the senses and swept us away from our day to day. In that moment elegant orchard fruit emerged, with Meyer lemon notes, hints of stone fruit -nectarine, peach, apricot- and a subtle zippy acid.

We applauded the decision to pick the fruit early as Grenache Blanc loses acid rapidly as it ripens; this wine retains its vital energy and on the lengthy finish there's even a touch of salinity not usually found in this varietal.

We rounded out our tasting notes with this:
Best California Grenache Blanc we've tasted, period.

This brilliant wine is on the shelves at Renegade where, after picking up a bottle or two, head down to the fish market and select your favorite seafood to create a wonderful ceviche, or whichever white fish the fishmonger suggests, and throw it on the grill in the evening.

This is the wine for that!