2025 Gamay - Alisos Canyon AVA
2025 Gamay - Alisos Canyon AVA
This wine now comes entirely from Martian Ranch Vineyard in Alisos Canyon AVA. Martian Ranch has been farmed biodynamically since its inception and has been Demeter certified since 2010. It is a pleasure to be able to source grapes from a vineyard that cares about their soil health as much as we do. Alisos Canyon AVA lies directly in the middle of Santa Ynez Valley AVA and Santa Maria AVA and has a unique set of both AVA’s characteristics. This vineyard lies on the hills of the San Antonio Creek Valley, it gets warm in the day, and cools off with coastal fog in the evening. The soils are rich in calcium from the Paso and Sisquoc formations and are composed of weathered sandstone, shale, and marly limestone. Martian Ranch appears sandy at the surface, but there is a rich loamy clay about 3 feet below the surface in pockets of this block. Over the years I have been able to narrow down my Gamay block preferences, and now this entire bottling comes from one block of 358 clone Gamay at Martian.
More Info
More Info
This Gamay was harvested on September 4th around 22 Brix. True to our approach, everything was fermented 100% whole-cluster. Throughout primary fermentation, the grapes received a thoughtful balance of gentle foot treading, pour-overs, and what we like to call “love touches.” The fermentation was pressed after 17 days on skins. As always, fermentation began with a touch of carbonic maceration before transitioning to more extractive cap management methods. Several rounds of foot treading and gentle handling ensured that almost no berry was left unsquished after primary fermentation. After a light pressing, the wine was aged in neutral French oak barrels before being bottled unfined and unfiltered on March 25, 2026
Tasting Notes
Tasting Notes
2025 Gamay has the freshness of the new world, and the structure of an edgy old world Gamay. Think of biting into a ripe satsuma plum - lush sweetness, a little acid, and some tannin. She’s briny, delightfully herbal, and joyously red in all Gamay ways! Perfect now, perfect in many, many years down the road. If you enjoyed the 2024 version, this vintage is sure to please.
Wine Details
Wine Details
- 12.0%ABV
- 122 cases produced
- Demeter certified biodynamic grapes, minimal sulfites
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about the label
Art: The Darner dragonfly surrounded by its flowers of choice were painted by my brilliant mother, Eileen Anderson. The dragonflies are an integral part of the ecosystem as they prey on smaller invertebrates like mosquitos. At the same time they become food for birds and bats in the vineyard. The family of California quail, Callipepla californica, on the back are painted by me. The quail families run around the vineyard and surrounding bushes in spring and summertime and bring a delightful energy to the vineyard.
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