Lady of the Sunshine Pinot Noir Chêne Vineyard Edna Valley 2021

Gina Hildebrand grew up on her family’s biodynamic farm, the 86 acre Narrow Gate Vineyard, just east of Placerville in northern California’s Sierra Foothills. Now a biodynamic farmer herself, Gina established Lady of the Sunshine in 2017, taking inspiration from her family roots. She earned her degree in Wine and Viticulture and worked for several years with sustainably-focused, terroir-driven winemakers in France, New Zealand, Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and Howell Mountain in Napa. Gina now makes her home in the Edna Valley of California’s Central Coast. The motto of Lady of the Sunshine is “know your farmer” and Gina farms, sources, and makes wines that are honest-yet-playful reflections of serious vineyard sites. This pinot noir comes from the Chêne Vineyard, a plot of steep hillside plantings upon Monterey bedrock. This site is known for producing small, concentrated clusters of fruit, which upon harvest were fermented 100% whole-cluster with light extraction. The wine was then pressed in a wooden basket press and aged in neutral French oak barrels for 10 months before being bottled without fining or filtration. An elegant offering, it unfurls delicate layers of fresh raspberries, rose petals, wildflowers, and fine-grained tannin. Certified biodynamic, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.