Gamay Season
Born before the year 1300 somewhere in Burgundy, it's only taken the Gamay grape 700 years to start gaining the respect it deserves. Previously described as a 'very bad and disloyal' variety by the Duke of Burgundy who ordered all vines to be ripped up in 1395, Gamay has had a difficult time competing with its illustrious neighbour Pinot Noir. But in the last 30 years, the reputational gap has closed somewhat with the rise of more complex, elegant and age-worthy expressions. Beaujolais is the land of Gamay and also the where the natural wine revolution began so we have been spoilt with amazing wines from some of the big names such as Lapierre, Lapalu, Foillard and Balagny but there are also great examples from Savoie, Bugey, Loire and Auvergne to be discovered.
With Beaujolais Nouveau Day on the horizon, it gives us the opportunity to celebrate the Gamay grape in all its forms
Here are some of our favourites
BEAUJOLAIS
Château Roulant 2021 - Benoit Camus
One of our best selling wines of this year. A lovely balance of precision and rusticity.
- Chiroubles 2023 - Romuald Valot
Beaujolais with a bit of structure from one of the cru appellations. Complex fruit, herbal and savoury notes.
- Brouilly 2023 - Romuald Valot
Made with grapes from the famous appellation of Brouilly, this has a great balance of earthy and red fruit notes. We love it so much, we picked it as the red in our Christmas Deluxe Box Set.
- Qui l'Eût Cru 2022 - Romuald Valot
A cuvée from Romuald with an extra year of age. Coming from 2 different cru sites, this is wild and electric with bright fruit and some reductive notes.
- Tromp l'Oeil 2023 - Romuald Valot
A unique blend of Aligoté and Gamay made in the Blanc de Noir style. Red fruit on the nose followed by citrus on the palate.
- La Baleine Ivre 2020 - La Dernière Goutte
Beaujolais with a nice bit of age. Still showing great acidity but also a developed, darker edge.
The iconic cuvée from one of the godfathers of natural wine. Precise and refined with earthy, savoury notes. Age-worthy.
LOIRE
- Trait Gamay 2021 - Rémi Sédès
From one of the best sites in the Loire for the Gamay grape. Light and delicate but with great concentration of minerals and fruit.
- Cheverny Rouge 2022 - Hervé Villemade
Great value blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay from Loir-et-Cher. All about the fruit.
- Vin Rouge 2023 Clos du Tue Boeuf
Another bargain wine, this time from Loire legend Thierry Puzelat. A blend of Gamay, Pineau d'Aunis and Côt.
- Les Maluseaux 2022 - Thierry Hesnault
Old vine Gamay from a cult producer in Jasnières. Aged in old barrels for 15 months. Structured and complex.
BUGEY
- La Cuvée Des Doudous 2022 - Grain Par Grain
Wild and energetic Gamay from Bugey courtesy of Caroline Ledédenté who is becoming one of our favourite producers in this region.
- En Pleine Nature 2022 - Grain Par Grain
Another cuvée from Caroline, this time with the added bonus of white Chardonnay juice.
BURGUNDY
A blend of Gamay, Pinot Noir, Pineau d'Aunis, Abouriou, Cesar and Pinot Beurot from Francois Ecot in the north of Burgundy. Great complexity after a few years in bottle now.
A blanc de noir sparkling wine made with Gamay and Pinot Noir from one of the best natural wine makers in Burgundy.
NON-ALCOHOLIC
The best wine alternative we have ever tasted! Sparkling Gamay juice made with fruit and herbs from the winemakers garden.
Happy drinking!
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