Banville Wine Merchants
Maison Noir 'Gamma Ray' 2022 750ml
Maison Noir 'Gamma Ray' 2022 750ml
USA : OREGON : WILLAMETTE VALLEY
CONVENTIONAL : Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir
LIGHT-BODIED, CRAN-STRAWBERRY, FIVE SPICE, LEATHER, NO OAK
André Hueston Mack founded Maison Noir in 2007 as a micro-négociant — sourcing fruit from six Willamette Valley sub-AVA vineyards across Eola-Amity Hills, Dundee Hills, McMinnville, and Yamhill-Carlton and blending them into wines that read as the valley rather than a single site. Gamma Ray is his take on Passetoutgrain, Burgundy's centuries-old equal-parts Gamay and Pinot Noir blend. Same formula. Pacific Northwest terroir.
The 2022 vintage opened with an April frost that damaged roughly 75% of primary buds across the valley, followed by a cold, wet spring that pushed ripening weeks behind schedule. October saved it — warm, dry conditions extended through harvest, concentrating the fruit while holding natural acidity in line. Seven days of cold soak, 18 days on skins, stainless steel throughout. No wood in sight.
PAIRINGS :
| Duck breast with cherry reduction | Gamay's classic match; the sauce mirrors the wine's cran-strawberry core |
| Charcuterie with salami and aged cheese | Five Spice and leather notes find their counterpart in cured meat |
| Mushroom risotto | earthy depth echoes the leather finish; medium weight won't overpower |
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