Angela is back!
This is the story of Angela Osborne and Folded Hills. Then and now.
In 2014 and 2015 we planted grapes at Folded Hills. This was the first time anyone had planted grapes this far south on the Central Coast.
The next step? Find a winemaker. We had interviewed a few folks and no one had resonated yet. Pete Stolpman suggested that we talk to Angela Osborne, a delightful New Zealander who had created and succeeded with her own label, A Tribute to Grace, and had been captured by the nuanced magic of the Grenache grape some 15 years earlier.
We decided to meet Angela onsite, strolling the hills of the nascent vineyards, followed by a meeting at our copper kitchen table. I think the alchemy began there. Andy had warned me going into this meeting, “Now be cool, we don’t know if she is the one.”
We sat, had chamomile tea, and chatted about mostly non-wine things: her sweet firstborn Bodhi, the baby she was carrying, and her philosophy about and love for the Grenache grape. Maybe 15 minutes in, I pleadingly blurted, “Will you make wine for us?” Not exactly playing it cool!
Angela Osborne was our founding winemaker. From 2016 to 2020 Angela made wine for Folded Hills alongside her own label, Grace. We were all happily surprised when that first vintage of 2016 Lilly Rosé won the accolade of “Year’s Best Rosé” from Wine and Spirits magazine.
New to the wine business, we found that while the Busch name may open doors in the beer world, in the wine world, it was Angela’s name that got people’s attention.
Now, in 2024 Angela Osborne is back at the helm of the cellar at Folded Hills. Angela uses a hands-off approach to winemaking. She lets the grapes and the terroir express themselves. Each vintage divulges something different as the wines express that year’s temperatures, gentle fog, misty rain, and warm sunshine.
Angela’s love of the Grenache grape is legendary. She fell in love with it in 2002 in Sonoma County, and her world “flipped on its axis.” She has never looked back. We are looking forward to returning to the winemaking style with which we founded this family legacy project, Folded Hills.
In addition to Grace and Land of Saints, Angela and her husband, Jason, have a legacy project of their own. Nearly ten years after our first meeting, they now have three sons, Bodhi (10), Marlin (8), and Otis (5). These darling boys remind us so much of our own boys at those ages.
To honor this exciting news, we are releasing an entire Angela Osborne x Folded Hills Library Wine release for the first time ever, and with complimentary shipping for orders of six bottles or more. It is no surprise to us, that these wines have aged as beautifully as their maker.
We couldn’t be more excited to be making wine with Angela again. 2024 will mark Angela’s 20th harvest! Rather auspicious, no?
We will continue with the wines you love and add a few new ones as we see what the vineyard produces. We will make some small-production, wine club-only wines and others that speak to us of the year’s bounty.
Come along with us on this exciting journey back to our roots. Grab some of the last bottles of Angela’s Library Wines while you can, and have them shipped directly to your home or pick up in either of our tasting rooms.
Cheers!
