This brand-new Pinot Noir project is brought to you in the spirit of good fun and good wine. Anie Peszynski & Scott Gray, the cheerful and passionate winemaking duo behind GrayPez Wines, have dedicated themselves to a playful approach to Pinot Noir - juicy, bright, fresh, supple, intense, fragrant, structured and delicious Pinot Noir. They are not new to wine, thankfully, spanning a diverse background of experiences before connecting the dots under the tutelage of one Thomas Rivers Brown. Anie is the Assistant Winemaker at Mending Wall Winery in Saint Helena where Brown crafts some of the valley’s highest-rated wines for his many clients. Anie developed a passion for all things wine while studying viticulture and enology at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo before relocating to the Napa Valley. As a second-gen vintner, Scott’s intro to wine came a littler earlier in life. His path into winemaking included multiple harvests at another Thomas Brown establishment, Outpost on Howell Mountain, where he sharpened his skills in both sales and production before landing at Mending Wall with an opportunity to work year-round in the cellar alongside Anie and the rest of the team. This was only the beginning for Anie and Scott. Not long after they first met, they decided to join forces and launch their very own GrayPez Wines. Together, Anie and Scott prove through their winemaking and teamwork that two is better than one. They complement and recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses and come together with the same end goal: creating fun and approachable wines to share with friends and family, both new and old.
"Our wines are about connecting people and embracing the fun in winemaking." – Anie & Scott
Anie and Scott source their Pinot Noir grapes from Sonoma County. Known for its cooler climate, the wines are influenced by the Pacific Ocean’s marine layer and Goldridge soils. It is a world-renowned growing region for Pinot Noir. This is an elegant expression of Pinot Noir, a telltale sign of Thomas Rivers Brown’s influence on these young yet passionate winemakers. Native yeast fermentation with 30% whole clusters was followed by 14 months in 20% new French oak. The wine is robust yet refined, opening with aromas of ripe rhubarb, pomegranate, and hints of cranberry. The palate is just as elegant as the aromatics with raspberry seed, black currants, and black cherry balanced with pleasant acidity and just the right amount of spice. 130 cases produced and 13.2% abv.
