Lady of the Sunshine Pinot Noir Chêne Vineyard Edna Valley 2019

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 comes from the Chêne Vineyard, located on the southwest side of the Edna Valley AVA, just 4 miles from the Pacific. It has been biodynamically farmed since 2017 and was Demeter certified biodynamic in June 2020 (only the second vineyard in the Edna Valley AVA to be certified biodynamic. This pinot noir is a 50/50 split of two clones planted on the steepest hillside of the vineyard, fermented with native yeast (70% whole cluster), then finished in neutral French oak barrels and aged for 10 months. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered. Dark red and black cherries, a whiff of violets, and cracked black pepper on the nose yield to a palate full of delicate red fruit with a touch of crushed culinary/medicinal herbs on the finish. Elegant and lively. Biodynamically grown, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.