Release Letter:
“I remember that the Gabilan Mountains to the east of the valley were light gay mountains full of sun and loveliness and a kind of invitation, so that you wanted to climb into their warm foothills almost as you want to climb into the lap of a beloved mother. They were beckoning mountains with a brown grass love. The Santa Lucias stood up against the sky to the west and kept the valley from the open sea, and they were dark and brooding—unfriendly and dangerous. I always found in myself a dread of west and a love of east. Where I ever got such an idea I cannot say, unless it could be that the morning came over the peaks of the Gabilans and the night drifted back from the ridges of the Santa Lucias. It may be that the birth and death of the day had some part in my feeling about the two ranges of mountains.” - John Steinbeck

Having worked with Brosseau for five years now, the vineyard’s personality is incredibly clear. Though this is our first Blancs des Noirs-style sparkling wine, Brosseau, like many great vineyards, expresses the site’s character perhaps more strongly than the variety. Though unexpected, the Pinot Noir is the subtler of the two wines from the vineyard. It still has the vineyard’s signature flavors—chili spice, laurel bay and savory granite—but with more red fruit undertones and a suave delivery.

The fruit was put direct to press and fermented in old oak and stainless steel barrels. Malolactic was prevented. It was put down for secondary fermentation in March 2014 and disgorged in March of this year with 4 grams of dosage. Imagine Ambonnay meeting the limestone and granite sun kissed Gabilan Mountains. This wine should age well. If consuming soon, open the wine and let it breathe for a few hours.

January 2019 Update:
This was a wine that was quite suave right out of the gate and still is today. That said, I think there is more complexity to come, but if you prefer sparkling wines on the fresher side, a great wine to drink today.

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