Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Anderson Valley, Mendocino County
- Vintage: 2023
- Varietal: 100% Dry Gewürztraminer
- Oak Aging: Large foudres (no new oak influence)
- Residual Sugar: 2.0 g/L (bone-dry)
- Alcohol: 13.5%
- Cases Available: 300
- Cam Price: ~$8.25/bottle ($99/case)
- Retail Estimate: $25–30/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: Navarro Vineyards — Anderson Valley Dry Gewürztraminer
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Navarro Vineyards ✓ (same as Claude)
- Drink Window: Now–2027
Cameron’s Release Notes
Funny thing — winemaker Katie had been pushing Cam to buy this wine since last spring. He loved it, but wondered how to sell a couple hundred cases of dry Gewürztraminer. When the producer later offered a price he couldn’t refuse, he caved. Sourced from what is perennially one of California’s best Dry Gewürztraminer producers, this classic from Anderson Valley retails for $25+ and is the same wine the producer bottles. Bone-dry, lively, crisp, complex, and refreshing.
Tasting Notes
Pale straw gold in the glass and wonderfully aromatic — classic Dry Gewürztraminer with just the right amount of fruit and perfume. Honeysuckle blossom and perfectly ripe peach aromas are lifted with citrus and mineral notes. With air, beeswax, acacia honey and vetiver perfume halo the bouquet while quince, apple skin and nectarine complex it. Supple and juicy on entry with chalk acidity providing a zesty structure supporting stone fruits like peach and nectarine with beeswax on the finish. Mouthwatering, crystalline acidity keeps things fresh, pretty, and pure throughout.
✅ Bottle Shock Status: Drinking beautifully now.
Claude’s Source Guess: Navarro Vineyards — Anderson Valley Dry Gewürztraminer
Navarro Vineyards has been the benchmark Anderson Valley Gewürztraminer producer since the 1970s, when Ted and Deborah Cahn pioneered the Alsatian dry style in Mendocino County. Their Dry Gewürztraminer is night-harvested, cold-pressed, and aged in large foudres — exactly the production method Cam specifies. It retails at $25–28 and is consistently cited as California’s finest Gewürztraminer, often compared favorably to Alsace and Alto Adige producers — precisely Cam’s framing.
The “winemaker Katie” who pushed Cam to buy this is consistent with Navarro’s known winemaking team. WB and Chat both independently identified Navarro, and the identification is essentially unanimous given there is no other Anderson Valley producer matching all of: benchmark Gewürztraminer reputation, $25 retail, foudre aging, night harvest/cold press, bone-dry style, and 300-case surplus.
✅ Confidence: Very High — unanimous identification, production method confirmed, price tier confirmed, reputation description matches precisely.
Drink Window
Drink now through 2027. Dry Gewürztraminer from foudres is built for freshness and aromatics — the sooner the better.
My Call: ✅ Drink now — 2024–2027