Gamay Noir has long been one of our everyday drinking wines, so when the opportunity came to source this varietal, we jumped on it. Gamay can be seen as a close cousin to Pinot Noir. A lighter bodied variety with silky, soft structure. However, the complexity of flavors focus heavily on spice & herbaceous qualities. Black pepper, allspice, violet and lilac are wrapped around black currant and pomegranate. This wine has bountiful acidity, causing these flavors to pop. To add structure, wholecluster fermentation was used for both fermenters, utilizing the entire cluster: stems, seeds and berries. This lifted aromatics, added even more spice and added to more pronounced tannin. Cellared in barrel for almost a full year, we used a once-filled puncheon barrel (500 L) to add just enough oak flavor to support the grapes already stellar flavors.
Planted in Willamette Valley’s new Van Duzer Corridor AVA, Pamar Vineyard benefits from its proximity to the Coast Range’s elevation break, allowing high winds from the Pacific to stream into the valley. Clusters will grow a thicker grape skin in resistance to these high wines, providing more concentration of color, body and flavor in the resulting wines. These winds will also bring in cooler air, creating more hangtime of the vine for the grapes to develop flavor while retaining their natural acidity. As predicted because of these geographic factors, Pamar’s Gamay Noir was our last pick of the season harvesting on October 14th. Overall, the 2024 growing season brought ideal conditions and will be reserved as the new gold standard. Favorable temps to promote healthy cluster formations and ripening, while temps dipped near harvest to create perfect picking conditions.
Data Sheet
Label
