Description
The Vineyard
This Gamay is grown on a steep hillside in sandy limestone soils in the cool, breezy northern stretch of the Sta Rita Hills near Los Alamos. The vines are blanketed with fog each morning and temperatures remain moderate thanks to midday ocean breezes, helping to maintain high acidity in the fruit. The site has just under 1.5 acres of Gamay, which was planted to clone 358 in 2015.
The Wine
Hand-harvested on September 16th, the grapes were sealed under carbon dioxide gas for several days before crushing. The wine was fermented whole cluster with native yeast, then basket pressed and aged in three neutral oak barrels for nine months. 73 cases produced. 12.3% abv.
As a native of San Luis Obispo county, I spent many years traveling through Santa Barbara County: biking, beaching and enjoying the finest cold climate strawberries. Gamay is one of my very favorite wines in the world and I am thrilled that more and more vineyards in California are planting the variety, and I am honored to work with Gamay growing on California’s central coast.
