Lady of the Sunshine 'Narrow Gate Vineyards' 2024 Gamay El Dorado, Sierra Foothills

750ml bottle

12.4% abv

Earthy and spicy, with prominent notes of pomegranate and a subtle bergamot tea finish.

Certified biodynamic Gamay. Fermented in open top standing barrels with 100% whole cluster and native yeast. The grapes were pressed in the wooden basket press and then aged on lees in old French oak barrels for 7 months before being racked for the first time to bottle, with minimal sulfur and without fining or filtration. 48 cases produced.

Narrow Gate Vineyards sits at 2,500 feet elevation in a pocket called Pleasant Valley, in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California. This is my family's vineyard and where I grew up, which is positioned in the mountains above the snow line, where the foothill oak trees transition into sugar pines and cedars. On the 90 acre Demeter certified biodynamic ranch, 15 acres of grapes were planted by my father, Frank, in 2001 and the newest addition of Gamay was grafted over in 2019, the year Mikey and I married under one of the biggest oak trees on the property.
 – Winemaker's notes

Lady of the Sunshine, led by Gina Giugni, is a benchmark of regenerative farming and minimal-intervention winemaking on California’s Central Coast. Gina farms the Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Los Olivos District and works with like-minded growers across the SLO Coast, focusing on biodynamic, organic, and no-till vineyard practices. Her wines are defined by purity, texture, and balance.

California native Gina Giugni (née Hildebrand) established the exciting label Lady of the Sunshine in 2017. Gina grew up on her family’s eighty-six acre biodynamic-certified farm, named Narrow Gate Vineyards, in the Sierra Foothills. Given the influence of her family, Gina was drawn to biodynamic farming herself and developed an early interest in making terroir-driven wines. After obtaining her degree in Wine and Viticulture and spending several years working with different winemakers who focused on responsible farming in France, New Zealand, Oregon, and Napa, Gina now calls the Central Coast of California her home.

The current iteration of Gina’s life and work at Lady of the Sunshine is together with her spouse Mikey Giugni, of Scar of the Sea. The duo are now collectively creating their dual visions of vineyard-focused, personally-farmed wines in San Luis Obispo, under one roof. The most exciting development for this duo, however, is a big one: as of 2024, Gina and Mikey were able to purchase the exceptional Bassi Vineyard, a 29-acre site in Avila Beach, SLO Coast. Bassi is now their home plot, and it represents a major change in their production, going from 80% purchased fruit from likeminded farmers, to now 80% personally-farmed estate fruit, 20% purchased. It’s a massive shift for both growers and winemakers, and we’re super excited to see what this will mean for their already-lovely wines.

In general, beyond the farming principles, both the Lady of the Sunshine and the Scar of the Sea wines are produced always following the same practices: native yeast ferments, no additions other than SO2, and no fining or filtration. For both labels, Gina and Mikey are aiming for clear expression of the Pacific, only a mile away from the Bassi vineyard, as well as the climate and specific terroir character of the other unique vineyard sites with which they get to work (Chene, Mountain Meadow, Lopez, etc).
In terms of profile, the wines from Scar of the Sea have a sense of fruit depth, roundness of shape, and forward, immediately notable aromas, whether you’re checking out these versions of Pinot Noir, sparkling wines, or the more striking and wild Zinfandel or Palomino. Meanwhile, the wines of Lady of the Sunshine have a more concentrated, clear-cut, and linear feeling, with a subtlety and density that demand air and time in bottle. Both labels, however, are a testimony to Gina and Mikey’s immense capacity for work and learning, their openness of mind, and hard-earned skills. These are two of the more sincere souls working in California these days, and as their wines continue to evolve, we see worlds of ongoing potential in the heights they’re able to reach.California native Gina Giugni (née Hildebrand) established the exciting label Lady of the Sunshine in 2017. Gina grew up on her family’s eighty-six acre biodynamic-certified farm, named Narrow Gate Vineyards, in the Sierra Foothills. Given the influence of her family, Gina was drawn to biodynamic farming herself and developed an early interest in making terroir-driven wines. After obtaining her degree in Wine and Viticulture and spending several years working with different winemakers who focused on responsible farming in France, New Zealand, Oregon, and Napa, Gina now calls the Central Coast of California her home.