2024 Division Wine Co. Gamay 'Nouveau Nouveau'

100% Gamay Noir from the Carousel Vineyard in the uplands of the Columbia Valley’s Yakima Valley. A mix of fully carbonic maceration (all whole cluster in carbon dioxide enriched environment) and high percentage whole cluster (semi-carbonic) approaches which featured some destemming and use of traditional ferment management techniques like pumpovers. Native yeasts only. After a short 8-10 days on the skins, the grapes were pressed and finished primary and secondary fermentation and settling as juice in stainless tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 13% alcohol. 

Pours a vibrant, luminous ruby with bright purple edges. An explosion of fresh red fruit—leading with bright notes of crushed raspberry, tart cranberry, and juicy Bing cherry. Underlying hints of pink bubblegum and newly tilled earth hint at its Nouveau style. Wonderfully light and zippy, with a playful freshness that dances on the tongue. Flavors mirror the aroma, featuring a surge of red currant and pomegranate. It is wonderfully unpretentious and fruit-driven, with no oak to mask the purity of the Gamay. Clean and fresh, with juicy acidity and next to no tannin. Serve chilled!

Winemakers Tom Monroe and Kate Norris of the Portland-based urban winery, Division winemaking Company, are all about making delicious ready to drink, wines inspired by Kate’s time in the Loire Valley and paving the way for Oregon’s recent “Loiragonian” movement. Sourcing grapes from nearby Willamette vineyards, they keep to a non-interventionist style of winemaking to allow the organic vineyards that they work with to really tell a story. The winery is housed in their Southeast Wine Collective, a custom crush project started in 2012 to promote collaboration and creativity for winemakers and visitors alike. Tom, with a background in finance, and Kate, with a background in event management, started Division winemaking Company in 2010, making just 320 cases in their first year.