Land:
Desert ocean, sandstone and granite.
Where:
Highlands of Santa Barbara and Happy Canyon
Santa Barbara County
Winemaking:
100% de-stemmed fruit, native ferment with gentle hand-pigeage twice daily during primary fermentation. Aged in neutral french barrique for 10 months.
Three friends.
Four cultures.
One California sun.
A collaboration between Angela and Jason Osborne (A Tribute to Grace Wine Company), and Manuel Cuevas (C2 Cellars). We met during the 2013 vintage and have been discussing sunshine, moon signs and our Kiwi/Cornish/Mexican-American roots ever since. We stem from three beautifully different corners of the globe, united by our love of California and the vinous expressions of Santa Barbara County.
From Cornwall (also known as the Land of Saints) to California (with her myriad of Sans and Santas), via New Zealand. These wines symbolize our cultures and the wines that give our sense of place.
“A little bit about the name Land of Saints – I hail from the county of Cornwall in Southwest England which has a rich and ancient history. Around 410AD the country entered a period known as the ‘age of the saints’ as holy people came and lived in this stunningly beautiful county.
In the following centuries over 70 of them left their name as a legacy to the land, as a result, Cornwall became affectionately known as the ‘Land of Saints’. I’ve always loved the name and on a more holistic view, I like the idea of a land filled with Saints… it would make for quite a place! After moving to California, I found a new Land of Saints (we counted 33 Sans and Santas). Golden, with open skies, and a friendship that will last a lifetime.”
– Jason Osborne, Land of Saints Wine Company
“Our focus is on this beautiful valley we call home. Varietals and sites will differ from year to year, intentionally. The three of us live on the Central Coast, and are forever amazed at how many sites provide so many differing expressions.
The quote on the back label refers to an old Cornish saying (it sounds quite amazing when heard through Jason’s accent): What’s said of old, is said in truth. Applied to wine, this conveys our intentions to being true to where we are, and crafting honest expressions of this ancient golden land, in the year we find ourselves.”
– Angela Osborne, Land of Saints Wine Company
Chardonnay originated in the Burgundy region of France, and takes its name from a small town in the Maconnais, an area in southern Burgundy that makes relatively inexpensive, high-value chardonnays. Because it is now grown nearly everywhere wine is made, and because we label it by the grape variety rather than the place of origin, we tend to forget that appellations such as Montrachet, Meursault, Pouilly-Fuissé and Chablis are synonymous with chardonnay.
Chardonnay is one of the three main grapes used in champagne, along with (reds) pinot noir and pinot meunier. A blanc de blanc champagne is all chardonnay, and in my opinion the ultimate expression of the grape. Many New World sparkling wines use a significant amount of chardonnay as well.
