Gamay

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.