2025 Lucy Gamay Noir

THE PLACE: To say that Monterey County—and more specifically the Santa Lucia Highlands—is special would be an understatement. Heralded for its diverse wildlife, bountiful agriculture, and pristine vineyards, it is what’s happening beneath the surface that truly makes this region so uniquely suited for growing world-class wine grapes.

The Gamay Noir vines, traditionally found in the granite- dominated soils of the Beaujolais region of central France, sink their roots deep into the earth below the Santa Lucia Highlands, where they find a familiar composition of decomposed granite. This soil is an exceptionally rare find in coastal California; the granite was delivered here when part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range was sheared off and sent northward by the San Andreas Fault activity and forms what is today’s Sierra de Salinas.

This confluence of geology and climate give the grapevines a wonderful granite foundation among a cool and foggy coastal growing season. The Gamay Noir vines deliver great expressivity, flavor and acidity.

WINEMAKING: Though credit must be given to this beautifully expressive variety and the granite-laden soils, it is the winemaking techniques that have truly brought the wine to life. As a nod to traditional Beaujolais Cru wines, this Gamay noir was fermented with 60% whole clusters in open-top tanks to create a semi- carbonic environment. To add to the complexity of the wine (and lending a touch of local history), a portion of the fruit was fermented in a vintage California redwood tank. The 100% native yeast fermentation featured a combination of punch downs and pump overs, allowing for gentle extraction of aroma and flavor. After fermentation, the wine was transferred to a rare and special selection of neutral French oak barrels, where it aged beautifully for 8 months prior to being bottling unfined and unfiltered.

TASTING NOTES: The 2025 Lucy Gamay Noir is generous, full of life, and irresistibly approachable. Deep fuchsia in the glass with unmistakable vibrancy, this wine bursts with energy. Bright notes of fresh violets, cranberry, and wild strawberry pop from the glass at first swirl, layered with subtle hints of baking spice. The palate presents a teeming basket of mixed fruit filled with juicy marionberries, Bing cherries, and pomegranate. Remarkable acidity keeps the wine lifted and energetic while neutral barrels allow the pure fruit character to shine uninhibited by oak. The cooler temperatures in 2025 and the granite soils where the vines reside have created a Gamay with impressive depth. Elegant tannins are woven seamlessly into the wine’s structure. This wine is excellent now and drinks well when chilled, which makes it an excellent pairing for summer. 

The Pisoni Family has always been committed to making exceptional wines, and Lucy allows them to combine this passion with philanthropy. The Pisoni family donates one dollar of each bottle of Gamay Noir sold to Big Sur Fire. Since inception, the combined Lucy family of wines has generated over $250,000 in contributions.