WHEREAS, Gamay was once the most abundant grape grown in the Napa Valley
WHEREAS, Charles Krug put Napa on the map originally with a gold medal for Gamay in the 1948 World’s Fair in Belgium, at the time walnuts and prunes where the predominant crop, and;
WHEREAS, the American palette, in the 1960- 70’s was being sculpted by cherry coca cola and strawberry shortcake, and;
WHEREAS, in the same period, “Wild in the Country” was filmed on the Battuello Ranch starring Elvis Presley and acres upon acres of Gamay were soon planted
WHEREAS, Napa Nouveau was made famous by the people of Marin County during the 1970’s disco era, hot tubs, peacock feathers and Gamay Beajolais Nouveau flowing freely like whiskey from the Tennessee Mountians
WHEREAS, The Gamay Noir grape variety was banished from all the lands of Burgundy by the ruling class and driven from Napa Valley 500 years later by economics-Cabernet Sauvignon became the holly grail of Napa Valley grape growing and building hot tubs out of the American oak, Napa Nouveau tanks became the fashion, and;
WHEREAS, Only 20 acres or so of Napa Gamay remain planted and Andrew Lane produces Gamay Nouveau and Cru Gamay from six of these last remaining twenty acres, and;
WHEREAS, Before you lies the first taste of the vintage globally, foreshadowing what is to come from the broader 2009 Napa/Sonoma vintage, and;
WHEREAS, Andrew Lane Nouveau is a product of whole cluster fermentation and carbonic maceration which causes juice inside the berries to ferment and explode, and;
WHEREAS, Explosive aroma’s of STRAWBERRY, MOCHA, CARMELIZED BANANA and RASPBERRY… a fresh fruit style we call (mah-nyah-nah) which happens if you drink a few too many during lunch, and;
WHEREAS, The Andrew Lane 2009 Nouveau was harvested September 30th and is on your table by Thanksgiving. The vineyards of this Nouveau include those nurtured for 30 years by the hand of Bob Carty in Suisun Valley who has allowed nature to take it’s course by following organic farming guidelines. Without him the Nouveau wine before you would be “just another statistic in a cabernet tank somewhere in Lodi”
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED;
Cali Nouveau is BACK under the Andrew Lane label! And it was first poured as a Sneak Preview event beginning November 1, 2009 at The Tavern at Lark Creek
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