Ann Albert Martian Ranch Vineyard Gamay 2020
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On the nose, blackberry, pencil shavings, green peppercorn, lavender, and wet earth. On the palate, Bing cherry, asphalt, pomegranate, and black tea.
Cait Ann Johnson and Eric Albert Johnson met in 2012 at a wine tasting event where they bonded over their love of wine and soon after, each other. In 2015 they began their life together and decided to create Ann Albert Wines to share their expression of Chardonnay and Gamay with the community.
In his day job, Eric is the winemaker at the historic Talley Vineyards winery in Arroyo Grande Valley where he specializes in cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Cait, started o? in the wine industry, working at various wineries and as a sommelier, until she began a career in digital marketing.
Their winemaking philosophy is quite simple and minimalistic. For the Chardonnay, their muse is Chablis — pure and energetic. With the Gamay, they derive their vision from the great wines of Beaujolais — elegant masculinity. Ann Albert sources their grapes from high quality vineyards, as the goal is for the vineyard to express itself through the wines. The ideology is to partner with great vineyards and growers, nail the pick, and get out of the way.
Delightfully playful, but also capable of impressive gravitas, Gamay is responsible for juicy, berry-packed wines. From Beaujolais, Gamay generally has three classes: Beaujolais Nouveau, a decidedly young, fruit-driven wine, Beaujolais Villages and Cru Beaujolais. The Villages and Crus are highly ranked grape growing communes whose wines are capable of improving with age whereas Nouveau, released two months after harvest, is intended for immediate consumption. Somm Secret—The ten different Crus have their own distinct personalities—Fleurie is delicate and floral, Côte de Brouilly is concentrated and elegant and Morgon is structured and age-worthy.
With a dry and mild climate cooled significantly by moist ocean fog and breezes, Santa Barbara County is a grape-grower’s dream. Part of the larger Central Coast appellation, Santa Barbara is home to Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. The conditions here provide an opportunity for nearly effortless production of high-quality cool-climate Central Coast wines. This is also the site of the 2004 film Sideways, which caused Pinot Noir’s popularity to skyrocket and brought new acclaim to the region.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the stars of Santa Barbara, producing wines marked by racy acidity. Crisp Sauvignon Blanc and savory Syrah are also important. The region is home to many young and enthusiastic winemakers eager to experiment with less common varieties including Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau Gris, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, making it an exciting area to watch.