Mallea Vineyards Grenache Blanc

To us at Waterford, Justin Willett of Tyler winery is a rock star. He’s making suave, incredibly tasty and stylish Chardonnay that we love to pound! And now he’s teamed up to create a new wine: Mallea. 

Mallea is a collaboration between viticulturist Erik Mallea (director of viticulture at Sanford & Benedict and a co-founder of Willett-Mallea Farming) and winemaker Justin Willett (of Tyler Winery and Lieu-Dit Winery). After working together in various capacities for over a decade, Erik and Justin have started this exciting new project to highlight Santa Barbara County’s potential with Rhône varieties. They are farming four small vineyard sites clustered around Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara. Their initial release features three wines: a Grenache Blanc, Grenache Rosé, and a GSM blend, made by Justin Willett at his winery in Lompoc, CA.

This Grenache Blanc presents a bright nose with floral notes like honeysuckle, followed by flavors of green apple, pear, citrus, and hints of herbs and minerality. Its palate is characterized by a rich, full-bodied texture balanced by crisp, refreshing acidity, and a clean, mineral or subtly tannic finish.

As a side note, this project’s labels reference Erik Mallea’s Basque heritage, depicting 19th- and 20th-century aspen tree carvings by Basque shepherds in the American West. Erik’s father, Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe, is a respected scholar of this cultural tradition.