Tasting notes
Clear ruby color, aromas of potpourri, white pepper, pink pepper, nutmeg, red fruits, raspberries, cranberries and red current. Fresh and impactful mouthfeel, plum, cherry, licorice and layered tannins. If reduction is felt, decanting is recommended.
Vintage Notebook
This wine is made from top quality Grenache grapes, mainly from Santa Barbara County. The grapes are completely destemmed and fermented in 1.5 ton open-top fermenters. The grapes are gently punched down 3-5 times daily to extract the tannins and pigments from the grape skins. The long, cool fermentation gives the wine its fruity aromas and concentration. The wine is soft pressed with the skins and aged for 10 months in 500L French oak puncheon barrels. District: Santa Barbara County, Ballard Canyon, Los Alamos Vintage: 2012 was a great vintage for the growers. The harvest was high and the grapes were of very high quality. It was an amazing year with a calm spring, a mild but not too hot summer, no rain, no frost, and no storms. The summer was foggy, but the fog cleared during the day and it was warm (but not too hot), allowing the grapes to ripen steadily while still maintaining their acidity. The result was a wine with low alcohol content, richness, and concentrated varietal character.
Winery Information
Doug Margerum's interest in food and wine began when he was taken on trips to France and Italy by his parents, who loved to travel. He then gained experience working in restaurants both in the kitchen and on the floor during his high school and college years, deepening his knowledge of food and wine culture.
In 1981, when Doug graduated from UCSB (University of California, Santa Barbara), his family bought Wine Cask, a wine shop and commercial brewing equipment store. Doug then opened a small bistro next to the wine shop, but in 1996, due to the bistro's popularity, he moved Wine Cask to El Paseo in Santa Barbara and expanded it.
Doug, who was involved in creating the menu as a sommelier and chef, created his dishes based on his experience and knowledge of food cultures around the world that he had cultivated in his youth, and they were California cuisine with elements of Asian and Mexican cuisine. The restaurant was featured in various media as a place where customers could enjoy the best food and wine in a relaxed atmosphere. In 1994, Wine Cask won the Grand Award from Wine Spectator magazine, joining the ranks of restaurants with the world's best wine lists. In 2007, the popularity of the wine he made as a hobby while running the restaurant sparked his decision to sell Wine Cask and focus on running the winery.
With a handcrafted philosophy, Majram Wine Company creates wines with character.
In recent years, they have been producing small quantities of high-quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir under the BARDEN brand. These are super wines that only Doug, a well-known French wine lover, could produce.