2019 Brick House Gamay Noir Willamette Valley

Bright, floral and often laced with notes of anise or licorice.
The fruit was fully de‐stemmed and moved into open top fermenting tanks where a native fermentation was encouraged. After 21 days, the new wine was racked into neutral barrels where it remained until the summer of 2020. After 12 months in 100% neutral barrels, the wine was bottled at the end of August of 2020. 

For centuries Gamay Noir au Jus Blanc has been the singular grape of the Beaujolais region of France. But the marine sediments of Ribbon Ridge share much in common with the rolling hills of Beaujolais, including low soil pH and an abundance of mica/silica.

With the 2019 vintage Gamay Noir we returned to the profile of wines produced before the onset of global warming. The 2019 is light, bright and fresh, with just 12 % alcohol it is a worthy complement to any holiday table.

Like all Brick House wines, the 2019 Gamay Noir is a product of our estate vineyard on Ribbon Ridge, overlooking the broad Willamette Valley. The vineyards are located on the marine sediment of the Willakenzie soil series between 440 and 500 feet in elevation.

The result is a relatively low vigor, hillside site suitable for many varieties of wine grapes but especially the “Gamay Noir au Jus Blanc” the true Gamay grape of Beaujolais. We share a common thread with that French wine region. Much like the soils of the Beaujolais, the soil at Brick House has a relatively low pH and is rich in silica. Both factors impact nutrient availability and soil temperature, key determinants of the character of the resulting wines.

The plants that produced the 2019 Brick House Gamay are primarily of two Gamay Noir clones : #282 & #284. We have farmed the vines on a certified organic program since first planting them in 1992. We began using Biodynamic methods as of 2005.