Notes:

Producer: Lady of the Sunshine is the label of winemaker Gina Giugni, who grew up on her family’s biodynamic farm and vineyard in California’s Sierra Foothills. She later established Lady of the Sunshine on the Central Coast and today makes the wines near San Luis Obispo, sharing winery space with her husband, Mikey Giugni of Scar of the Sea. Gina’s work centers on organic, biodynamic, and regenerative farming, with an emphasis on native fermentations and restrained cellar intervention. Her farming background is particularly important to the project: she grew up around biodynamic agriculture and now applies those principles to the vineyards she works with, including the Chêne Vineyard in Edna Valley, which she began transitioning to biodynamic farming in 2018 and which is now Demeter certified. The 2023 Rouge, labeled as California Red Wine, brings together Nero d’Avola and Pinot Noir, combining two varieties from distinctly different California growing regions.

Vineyard: The 2023 Rouge is 60% Nero d’Avola and 40% Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir comes from Chêne Vineyard in Edna Valley, a cool, fog-influenced site that is certified biodynamic by Demeter. Chêne sits within the maritime Edna Valley, where cool Pacific air and fog help Pinot Noir retain acidity and develop gradually; the area around the vineyard includes ancient sand-dune material and volcanic sandstone. The Nero d’Avola comes from Preston Vineyard in Dry Creek Valley, a CCOF-certified organic vineyard planted on gravelly soils. The combination is deliberate: Nero d’Avola brings darker fruit, savory character, tannin, and structure, while cool-climate Pinot Noir contributes brighter red fruit, perfume, freshness, and a softer texture. The 2023 finished at only 12.8% alcohol, reinforcing the wine’s fresh, energetic style rather than a heavier interpretation of California red wine. The producer describes the finished wine through notes of salted black cherry, crushed graphite, and blood orange, a profile that reflects both the darker character of Nero d’Avola and the lifted fruit of Pinot Noir. Production was extremely limited at just 48 cases.

Winemaking: The two varieties were handled separately before being brought together. The Nero d’Avola was fermented with 50% whole clusters using native yeasts and bacteria in upright 228-liter neutral French oak barrels. The Pinot Noir was fermented with 100% whole clusters, also relying on native yeasts and bacteria. Whole-cluster fermentation contributes additional aromatic lift, spice, and structural character while fitting the wine’s fresh, minimally manipulated style. The two components were pressed together at dryness using a wooden basket press and then matured for approximately seven months in old French oak barrels, avoiding significant new-oak flavor. The wine was racked for the first time when it was prepared for bottling and was bottled without fining or filtration and with minimal sulfur additions. The result is a light-to-medium-bodied California red built around fresh fruit, savory complexity, moderate tannin, and bright acidity rather than extraction or oak.

Food Pairing: The Rouge’s combination of bright acidity, red and dark fruit, savory character, whole-cluster spice, and moderate tannin makes it unusually versatile at the table. Pair with wood-fired pizza, grilled chicken, roast pork, duck, grilled sausages, lamb kebabs, grilled octopus, tuna, salmon, mushroom dishes, charcuterie, or moderately aged cheeses. A slight chill can also emphasize the wine’s freshness and make it particularly useful with grilled foods and lighter summer meals.