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92 pts Vinous
The 2023 Valdiguié Rancho Chimiles emerges mostly from vines planted in 1972. Bright, juicy and irresistibly delicious, the 2023 is positively stellar. Strawberry, blueberry, lavender and a kick of spice all run through this light-bodied, vibrant red. I loved it. - By Antonio Galloni on January 2025

Our Tasting Note
Purple red color, lighter grade to the edge. Fragrant, the nose is pronounced, with crushed, fresh, salty blueberry and red berry fruits, a touch of exotic florals and spices, with a chalky stone minerality.  The palate is medium bodied, med+ mouthwatering acidity, with a med+ flavor intensity, this finishes long, fresh, and juicy!

Michael's origin story starts here as this was the grape and vineyard he made his first wines from!  To hear him speak about this you immediately recognize the passion, determination and emotional connection he has to this grape.  Then when you taste it, it immediately comes through in the character and energy of this wine and his sparkling valdiguie.  Of all the still wines, this was the best seller of the day!

Varietals: Valdiguie
Vineyards: Organic. Valdiguié (Napa Gamay) from Terry Wilson’s Rancho Chimiles vineyard in Wooden Valley, Napa Valley AVA. A cooler region in south Napa, nestled against the Vacas mountains. Vines are 40+ years old. No tillage in the vineyard with a permanent cover crop on silt loam soils.
Winemaking:  The very late 2023 vintage had us picking this wine in early October. Fruit was destemmed into an open concrete tank. Fermentation occurred spontaneously with manual punchdowns and light pumpovers. After 10 days on skins, the wine was lightly pressed and moved to older 500L puncheons and barrels. Malolactic occurred naturally with the wine receiving a light sulfur addition immediately before bottling.