Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Petaluma Gap AVA (Secret Hill Vineyard — Cameron Hughes’ estate)
- Vintage: 2025
- Varietal: 100% Rosé of Pinot Noir
- Oak Aging: None stated — high-end custom crush facility
- Alcohol: Not stated
- Cases Available: ~100
- Cam Price: ~$10.75/bottle ($129/case)
- Retail Estimate: $30–40/bottle (Cam’s estimate)
- Claude’s Source Guess: N/A — Cameron Hughes’ own Secret Hill Vineyard, Petaluma Gap (inaugural vintage)
- Wine Berserkers Guess: N/A
- Drink Window: Now–2026
Cameron’s Release Notes
Lot 43 2025 Rosé of Pinot Noir is sourced from Secret Hill, my vineyard in the Petaluma Gap AVA. Thankfully, all the fruit is under contract, but this year we decided to produce a couple hundred gallons of Rosé of Pinot Noir at a high-end custom crush facility to see what the vineyard could do. The results are incredibly promising. The wine is gorgeous, absolutely Angelic — it occurred to me that now I know why Château d’Esclans originally named their rosé Whispering Angel. You’ll see what I mean when you try it.
Tasting Notes
Beautiful and elegant featuring an angelic tapestry of cotton candy and powdery pink rose petals haloing pastille framboise and lemon drop candy with subtle hints of grapefruit and cherry as the bouquet complexes. Racy and mouthwatering on entry with pretty raspberry and cherry notes beautifully attenuated over crystalline, lemonhead-crusted acidity. Super zippy, fresh, nuanced and very complex — perfectly ripe fruit with brilliant, mouthwatering acidity.
✅ Bottle Shock Status: Drinking beautifully now — Rosé needs no aging.
About This Lot: Cameron Hughes’ Secret Hill Vineyard — Inaugural Rosé
This is the only CAM X lot sourced from Cameron Hughes’ own estate. Secret Hill Vineyard is Cam’s personal Petaluma Gap property, where all fruit is under long-term contract to other producers. The 2025 Rosé represents the inaugural experiment with the vineyard’s own wine program — a decision to retain a small amount of fruit and produce ~100 cases at a premium custom crush facility rather than sell it forward.
The Whispering Angel/Château d’Esclans reference is instructive — Cam is describing a wine of delicate, aromatic precision rather than the richer Provençal rosé style, consistent with the Petaluma Gap’s cool climate character.
✅ Confidence: Confirmed — Cam explicitly identifies Secret Hill as his own vineyard.
Drink Window
Drink now through 2027. Rosé of Pinot Noir from a cool coastal AVA is built for freshness.
My Call: ✅ Drink now — 2025–2027