Lot 52 2024 Santa Lucia Highlands Gamay Noir 750ml

For the unfamiliar, Gamay Noir is the foundational grape of the Beaujolais region of France, made famous by it's lighter, less sophisticated fare, the carbonically macerated and lightly bubbly Beaujolais Nouveau. However, what you have before you today is more akin to upper Cru Beaujolais, where the Gamay Noir grape is elevated and treated more like Burgundian Pinot Noir (from which Gamay, it is believed, naturally mutated). Structurally and weight-wise, Gamay lands somewhere between Pinot Noir and Southern Rhone Syrah/Grenache but can be exceptionally complex (as is the case with Lot 52) and is delicious either as a stand alone or with food. Sourced directly out of a single-vineyard, $50/bottle program bottling blend, Lot 52 is one of the finest Gamay Noir's produced in California (previous vintage's, albeit from a different vineyard but from the same producer, have scored in the mid-90's). It is first and foremost truly gorgeous juice, but also a fairly unique and rare find in the pantheon of California wines. While the fruit was sourced in Santa Lucia Highlands, the wine was produced here in Sonoma County at a high-end custom crush facility, fermented in open top tanks and aged in neutral French oak to preserve the dynamic, vibrant fruit and lively character of this absolutely delicious wine. Trust me on this one folks, if you value a fruit-forward and approachable yet complex and delightful wine experience, you are gonna love this incredibly high-quality Gamay Noir! Of course, instead of $50/bottle, it's available to you today at the absolutely fantastic price of $15! Vibrant purple magenta hue. Fantastically enticing, vibrant, boisterous and ripe bouquet featuring a complex and meaty panoply of blackberry, raspberry and black cherry fruit interwoven with clove spice and lilac perfume and kisses of red river clay and tobacco. Wow. Liquid silk on the palate with excellent weight (a bit more structure than Pinot Noir) and perfectly attenuated cranberry, pomegranate and black cherry mingling in a long, luscious finish. 100% Santa Lucia Highlands Gamay Noir 100% Single Vineyard 100% neutral French oak 13.4% alc. TA 5.82 g/L, pH 3.41