A few weeks ago, sandwiched between an early morning car issue and a chaotic airport pickup, I was fortunate enough to join an industry tasting at the strikingly beautiful Flat Rock property. Looking down from the watchtower tasting room, there were vines as far as the eye could see, and while the landscape was familiar, there was no doubt a sense of peace and awe that lovingly held my hand throughout my breakfast sips. Everything about the space indicated a love and precision that was reflected in the wines. The most intriguing to me being the new label series “Monolith”. Maybe it was the repeated importance of the “sense of place” that was driving the tasting forward or maybe the label itself whose imagery was taken from the microscopic shots of limestone, meant to speak to the specific uniqueness of the vineyard. 

The Monolith series is meant to showcase the innovation and experimentation behind some of the smaller projects, and in this instance, it was a lot of “Let’s take it for a spin and see what this baby can do.”  From an estate known for its production of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling, this first ever bottling of a single-variety Gamay, is a lavishly romantic eyeopener. It's spicy and deeply fruity with notes of dark plum, black cherries steeping in vermouth and dark chocolate, and yet the wine manages to have a lightness about it that punctuates and propels a tenderness...all the while staying cool.