Benevolent Neglect Gamay Noir Carneros 2022

Benevolent Neglect was founded in 2013 by two East Coast transplants. If foggy memory serves, Ben Brenner and Matt Nagy met at a house party where, allegedly, they were both wearing Boston Red Sox hats. They connected over their Boston accents and favorite local pubs, and the friendship formed fast. Both men were, at the time, working on opposite sides of the industry. Matt made wines for Thomas Rivers Brown, and Ben was a sommelier. Many long nights over countless bottles of wine are to blame for the inception of the child they never knew they wanted or needed – Benevolent Neglect. In their 10th harvest, Benevolent Neglect is among only a handful of small local brands that have stood the test of time. It often takes quite a bit of capital to keep a wine brand afloat. But Ben and Matt have boot-strapped this business from day one, and today, they proudly produce about 2,000 cases of wine a year and run a very popular tasting room in downtown Napa. It is a success story worth celebrating.

Ben and Matt love to bicker over many things, but there is no denying that they see eye to eye on winemaking. Their mission is to produce wines with as little intervention as possible. In their words, “The idea of the winemaker is the be the reliable translator – to take what was made in the vineyard from the sun, water, and soil and let it become the finest wine that it can be.” They poke fun at their holistic approach in their name – benevolent meaning ‘kind’ and neglect meaning ‘failure to care for properly’. So essentially, they are saying that they thoughtfully ignore their wines. If neglect tastes this good, we won’t judge!

Only 80 cases of this juicy and delectable Gamay were produced. The fruit was fermented for nine days via carbonic maceration which is a technique used to minimize color and tannin extraction. Essentially, fermentation is kicked off intercellularly instead of after the grapes are crushed. The result is a light and refreshing expression of Gamay. The complexity of this wine all lies in the nose, with intoxicating aromas of bramble berries, tart plum, and red cherry. The palate is crisp and light with a core of sage, earth, and bubblegum. This is the new wave of young Napa Valley, and with ten years of success under their belt, we can’t wait to see what they achieve in the next decade.