North Avenue Cellars: Georgia Tech Reunion Yields An Impressive Inaugural Vintage

On April 26th, I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural vintage release of North Avenue Cellars at the Shetty residence in Atlanta. This unique winery has a fascinating origin story - four Georgia Tech alumni who reconnected twenty years after graduation to create wines that reflect their journey and shared passion. Led by winemaker Charlie Fauroat, whose background includes experience at prestigious Sonoma County wineries like Williams Selyem, Dutton-Goldfield, and DuMOL, the tasting showcased four distinctive wines that represent their brand philosophy.

What made this event particularly special was Charlie's willingness to share his winemaking approach in great detail, from his barrel fermentation techniques to his philosophy on blending. While the brand's name references the street running through Georgia Tech's campus (with the Tech Tower subtly incorporated in their label design), the wines themselves come from Russian River Valley and Sonoma County. As Charlie explained, each bottle represents their journey - "born of friendship, perseverance, and an unwavering passion for the craft." The intimate setting allowed for extensive interaction with the winemaker, creating an educational experience that enhanced my appreciation of these inaugural releases.

• 2023 North Avenue Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Sparkling 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Tasted at the North Avenue Cellars inaugural vintage release at the Shetty residence in Atlanta. Charlie explained this was a dream project he'd wanted to make for a decade after discovering sparkling Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand in 2011. Made using the Charmat method (like Prosecco) rather than traditional Champagne method to preserve the varietal's fruitiness. The dosage is 3.75g/L, classifying it as extra brut. Light lemongrass dominates the nose. On the palate, there's a bit of bitterness and tartness balanced by a slight sweetness. Charlie explained they chose this method because "we're saying let's bring the character to the table on our side and let's find a less invasive process to create those bubbles to showcase what we want to showcase."
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2023 North Avenue Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Tasted at the North Avenue Cellars inaugural vintage release at the Shetty residence in Atlanta. Charlie detailed his approach to this wine, fermented half in stainless steel tanks and half in neutral French oak barrels. According to him, the stainless portion uses a yeast that produces tropical notes that "hit the side of your cheeks," while the barrel portion features a more "guava tone" yeast that works with the barrel's texture. The fermentation happens at a slightly warmer temperature than is conventional to enhance tropical characteristics. The wine shows a pale yellow color with a light lemon nose. Fresh lemon notes dominate the palate with excellent balance. The textural component Charlie described was evident, distinguishing it from many other Sauvignon Blancs with its added viscosity.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2023 North Avenue Cellars Pinot Noir 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Tasted at the North Avenue Cellars inaugural vintage release at the Shetty residence in Atlanta. Charlie spent considerable time explaining his Pinot philosophy, sharing that he's worked with some of Russian River Valley's finest Pinot producers including Williams Selyem and Dutton-Goldfield. This wine features 17% whole cluster fermentation, which Charlie determines by actually chewing on stems to assess their lignification and tannin levels before deciding the percentage to use. Aged 10 months in French oak with a unique approach of going straight from fermenter to barrel rather than homogenizing, creating distinct components that round each other out. Bright ruby color with a cherry-forward nose showing some stewed fruit characteristics. Medium tannins provide structure without overwhelming the fruit. Charlie noted that 2023 was a challenging vintage with an extremely late harvest (October 15th versus the usual September 10th), resulting in a more structured wine with excellent aging potential. I purchased some for my cellar. Great QPR!
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2023 North Avenue Cellars Red Wine 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  Tasted at the North Avenue Cellars inaugural vintage release at the Shetty residence in Atlanta. This fascinating blend includes Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Carignane, Syrah, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Charlie shared that this wine represents an homage to his beginnings in the wine industry, when he would experiment with blending leftover wines from the tasting room where he worked. He described his blending approach as similar to cooking: "If you were to compare it to a curry, you want your cardamom to bring this, you want your black pepper to bring this... so these are all spice components that all build off of each other and create something greater than the sum of their parts." The nose is more complex than the Pinot Noir, showing both cherry and raspberry notes. The palate displays more prominent tannins than the Pinot while maintaining excellent balance, with dark red fruit flavors predominating but not overtaking the wine. Charlie emphasized that while this exact blend will change each year, the style will remain consistent - medium-bodied with moderate tannins. I purchased some for my cellar. Great QPR!
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2011 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Tasted at the North Avenue Cellars inaugural vintage release at the Shetty residence in Atlanta. This was a special surprise addition that Charlie brought from his personal cellar to demonstrate the aging potential of properly made Russian River Pinot Noir. Charlie worked at Williams Selyem for several years and called it "an inflection point in my life." The Allen Vineyard is where the Williams Selyem production facility sits, making this bottle particularly meaningful to Charlie. The age is immediately apparent on the nose, showing developed, darker fruit notes compared to the 2023 North Avenue Pinot. The wine displayed remarkable balance and complexity after 13 years in bottle, with the tannins fully integrated into the wine. This surprise tasting provided an excellent reference point for how the North Avenue Pinots might evolve with proper cellaring.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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North Avenue Cellars' inaugural release demonstrated impressive quality across their portfolio, with the 2023 Pinot Noir and Red Wine blend standing out enough that I purchased multiple bottles of each. Charlie Fauroat's experience at prestigious Russian River producers clearly translates to these well-crafted wines. The surprise 2011 Williams Selyem Allen Vineyard Pinot Noir tasting provided valuable context for the aging potential of their current releases. With production limited to just 250 cases and plans to maintain core offerings while introducing one new "rotational" wine annually, these Georgia Tech alumni have established a solid foundation that honors both their university roots and commitment to distinctive Sonoma County winemaking.