2022 Bestiary Red

Philosophy
Our Bestiary label family considers the future of what Michigan wines could be by looking to the past, especially to the most realized winemaking regions throughout history. A seamless and incredibly unique blend, the 2022 Bestiary Red began with Gamay Noir—a lifelong obsession for Winemaker Sean O’Keefe. Sean’s father, Ed O’Keefe, planted the first commercial vineyard of Gamay in our region in the late 1980’s. Lucky for us, it turns out that Northern Italian varieties such as Lagrein are a perfect match for the black pepper notes of Northern Michigan Gamay Noir.

Flavor Notes
Fruit forward lingonberry and pomegranate notes on the palate are accompanied by delicate floral and cinnamon aromas. A cooler vintage led to a more feral, wild berry expression from the Lagrien, while the best Gamay barrels were selected for their complexity. Acid wrapped in a lees influenced texture results in a soft yet tingling finish.

Pairings
Venison schnitzel or stew, duck breast, soft rind cheeses like brie— try wrapped in puff pastry and baked with red berry jam.

Vinification
The Gamay was picked from Jamieson on October 12th, 2022. The Lagrien was harvested on the 22nd from Jamieson as well. Both fermented in open top bins with daily punch down by hand. Gamay was pressed on the 26th into a demi muid barrel and Lagrein was pressed on November 7th into one new hogshead barrel and several neutral barriques. The wine was racked and blended on June 3rd 2024 after one year and seven months of aging, and bottled on October 21st, 2024.

Cellaring
We recommend enjoying between now and 2029.