From Alex Gambal Winery:
We were hit by a severe hail storm on Saturday afternoon July 26 and lost 50% of our crop. The only positive out of this situation was that it was early in the season and the damaged grapes dried and fell off prior to harvest. As a result we produced only 24 HL/HA. After a prolonged malolactic fermentation we bottled the wine in September 2009. The result is a wine that is predominated by black fruits, with a pure nose and long finish. We only made 600 cases in 2008 with 15% new oak.
As an American, Alex Gambal has a
quite unique story, having founded his own Burgundian winery in 1997. Alex
Gambal started by making “négociant” wine (using purchased grapes), but has
since bought his own vineyards, allowing him to make proprietary “domaine”
wines. His rigorous attitude towards quality and his minimalist interventionist
winemaking philosophy clearly show in the full-bodied, yet smooth texture of
all of his wines. Alex produces a range of outstanding white (chardonnay) and
red (pinot noir) Burgundies varying in depth and style from regional
(“Bourgogne”) to Village, 1er Cru, and Grand cru levels.