2019 Benevolent Neglect GSM North Coast 750 ml

Benevolent Neglect is such a tiny operation that founders Matt Nagy and Ben Brenner don’t have a tasting room. We first experienced their lineup at Matt’s kitchen table, where he reminded us, “Wine is supposed to be fun, and supposed to be shared with friends and family.”

As we swirled this phenomenal 2019 GSM, sharing it was all we could think about. As is usually the case with Benevolent Neglect’s microproduction wines, this red bursts with the type of quality that has made their bottles staples at MICHELIN-starred temples of cuisine like SingleThread, The Clove Club, and Fat Duck.

This cuvée of Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah is inspired by the Southern Rhône, although the dominance of Mourvèdre (50%) makes us think of the iconic Château de Beaucastel more than classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Like every bottle and every vintage, this raises the stakes of what’s always been an impressive portfolio, and Matt and Ben are now widely seen as having created one of the most promising new ventures in all of American wine.

Matt brings a particularly eye-popping background to the winemaking. He got his legs working alongside Napa legend Thomas Rivers Brown, then he changed tack, taking a position with Steve Matthiasson, who’s at the vanguard of today’s low-interventionist “New California” movement.

Matt and Ben work full-time at Matthiasson, building on their success with Benevolent Neglect and earning tons of praise from the likes of Master of Wine Jancis Robinson and renowned wine writer Jamie Goode, who called BN’s bottlings “beautifully harmonious.”

We call it one of our favorite under-the-radar California labels, and what a stunning wine this is to share with your family and friends.