Beautiful pink clarity with a stunning ruby core, one of my favorite interpretations of this grape in California. Nutty, grainy, earthy funk and delirium blast out of it, coupled with bright plummy fruit with that obese sort of concentration of lively forwardness that spells impossibly ripe in a package so vegetal. Weedy stem bristles with sap and structure, barnyard and baby-diaper massage the light cherry syrup–an absolute HOMAGE to Cru Beaujolais from the original SBC.
This is the personal label of Joyce winemaker Russell Joyce. I had the good fortune of tasting through the wines with him at a Monterey Winegrowers trade-tasting a couple years ago, and found it for serious consideration on a local shop-shelf. If you are not familiar with the Joyce label, I suggest you acquaint yourself. Well-priced and packed with quality, they represent some of the best wines coming out of Monterey County right now. Russell’s own label allows–as most personal labels do–an extra tweak of geeky extravagance.
Silky perfection in the mouth. Bitter and alive, writhing with spit and spirit, fruit delicate in attack but earth-pounding in texture. The thin wash refreshes every pore, planting heavy doses of varietal-perfection on each spot and radiating yummy solidarity with those of us who DEMAND Gamay in our glass.
2019 RUSSELL JOYCE Gamay Noir San Benito Co. California 11.1 yes you read that right.
Stephen McConnell 