Since its first release, Meadowbank’s Gamay has generated considerable excitement in the trade. With some foresight, Meadowbank’s original Pinot Block was planted to Gamay in 1987. Then, in 2015, a second small Gamay block (evocatively named Top Woolshed) joined the fold. The soils in each block are loose sand over sandstone and dark brown coffee rock. The second block has a component of dolerite. Both sites are farmed sustainably.
2023 was another low-yielding year for Peter Dredge and the Meadowbank team, but, as in 2022, the fruit was excellent. The blocks were picked separately and fermented as whole clusters over 12 days. The wine was foot-stomped over the next few days before being pressed to old French barriques. The wine then matured for three months in barrel before being bottled without fining or filtration.