Great news for fans of Folded Hills Winery and Farmstead in the Santa Ynez Valley. Esteemed New Zealand-born winemaker Angela Osborne returns to the estate, where she crafted wines from 2015-2020 as founding winemaker. In addition, co-owner Kim Busch (of the Anheuser Busch family) resumes an active role in overall management. In celebration, Folded Hills kindly shared three library wines with us from Angela’s initial tenure at Folded Hills. Read on for more about Angela, her wines, and the incredible family story, including President Ulysses Grant and the Budweiser Clydesdales.
Folded Hills Story
In the 1850s, Ulysses S. Grant built his family’s home and what later became Grant’s Farm in St. Louis. (In 1869, he became the 18th President of the United States.) In 1903, August Anheuser Busch Sr. purchased Grant’s Farm. Fast forward to 1933, when August A. Busch, Jr. (aka Gussie) gave his father the first Clydesdales to celebrate the repeal of prohibition of beer. Ten years later, Gussie opened his family’s historic home and farm to the public.
His son Andrew helped run Grant’s Farm, caring for hundreds of animals, including elephants, elk, bison and the Budweiser Clydesdales. More recently, Andrew and his wife Kim brought the family’s legacy from St. Louis to the Santa Ynez Valley when they bought Folded Hills and established a vineyard.
According to Andrew, “Kim and I fell in love with Santa Barbara in 1998 when I served as Captain for the USA Polo team at the World Cup. We decided to raise our children with the freedom of the California coast, but I also longed to share with them the hard work and joys of ranch life. We found our place in Folded Hills.” Their purpose: “to offer our love of hospitality to preserve not just the land, but also our family’s way of life.”
For instance, they continued the family’s love of animals with a “farmily” of sheep, donkeys, mini horses, a camel, a zebra “and of course, our Budweiser Clydesdales named Gus and Dolph.” Folded Hills is now a 600-acre working ranch, vineyard, winery, and farmstead with organic row crops and fruit orchards, in addition to the grapes. “We are truly an old-world sustainable farm and working ranch.”
Angela Osborne
After establishing the vineyard in 2014, Andrew and Kim hired New Zealand-born Angela Osborne as founding winemaker. She created their wines from 2015 until 2020. Now she’s back, with her minimalist approach and love for Grenache, and a goal to craft small-production Rhône-style wines from their certified organic estate vineyards. The team has also adopted biodynamic principles “to promote wine quality and set an example for environmental stewardship.”
“I am honored to be returning to the Folded Hills family. I have missed this incredible site and its profound coastal influence,” she said. “The estate remains one of the most beautiful California vineyards I have worked with and I am beyond grateful to have this opportunity not once but twice.”
According to Kim Busch, their goal is to respect the land. “With as little interference as possible, we let the grapes speak for themselves.” Angela uses old-world practices and handcrafts small-batch artisanal wines, using native yeasts, no commercial additives, and the smallest amount of sulfur.
Folded Hills Wines
Meanwhile, in anticipation of Angela’s forthcoming 2024 vintage, Folded Hills has released the Angela Osborne x Folded Hills Library Wine collection to purchase, featuring the 2016-2019 vintages made during her original tenure. This limited-time offering showcases the portfolio’s aging potential and the winemaker’s earlier creations. We received three wines from this collection: 2017 Estate White, 2019 Estate Grenache Reserve, and 2016 Ballard Canyon Syrah.
Folded Hills 2017 Estate White ($60)
With seven years on it, we discovered this 2017 Estate White excels when paired with food. For example, we served this 100% Grenache Blanc with barbecued chicken and it was delicious. Crisp and refreshing, tangy and tart, it bursts with flavors of apples and tropical fruits such as mangos and papaya. It is the initial white wine grown at Folded Hills. The Buschs call it “the engagement bottle” because the label’s photo depicts their daughter and son-in-law’s engagement.
2019 Estate Grenache Reserve ($75)
This 2019 vintage is the first Reserve Grenache made at their winery. Think spices, strawberries, raspberries, savory mushrooms and minerality, combined into a delicate, elegant, structured wine. It’s light, bright and versatile, complementing light meals and vegetables. Folded Hills Reserve wine labels feature photos of life at the ranch. The Estate Grenache has a photo of the ramshackle 1916 barn across from the tasting room and next to the farmstead.
2016 Ballard Canyon Syrah ($82)
What an impressive 100% Syrah, which is magnificent after eight years in bottle. We loved it. Angela created this beauty from a selection of the finest blocks of the Stolpman Vineyard in Ballard Canyon, one of the premium Rhône vineyards of the Santa Ynez Valley. Aromas of berries, dark chocolate and pepper echo the palate, which also offers flavors of plums and a touch of charcoal. We paired it with election night.
Summary: Folded Hills
In conclusion, we really hope to visit Folded Hills winery and farmstead in the months ahead. It sounds like our kind of place, with good people, outstanding wine and lots of animals. We recommend that you visit too. In the meantime, Angela’s library wines are available at the Folded Hills website. And we also look forward to her 2024 vintage once it’s released.
Meanwhile, find us on Instagram and Facebook, and here at Write for Wine – It’s Wine O’Clock Somewhere.
Credit for the top four photos: Folded Hills Winery
Cheers!
Margot and Dave