Grape Variety: Gamay

Colour: Red

The Gamay grape is thought to be a mutant of the Pinot Noir, which first appeared in the village of Gamay, south of Beaune, in the 1360s. The grape brought relief to the village growers following the decline of the Black Death. In contrast to the Pinot Noir variety, Gamay ripened two weeks earlier and was less difficult to cultivate. It also produced a strong, fruitier wine in a much larger abundance. In July 1395, the Duke of Burgundy, Philippe the Bold, outlawed the cultivation of Gamay as being ”a very bad and disloyal plant"-due in part to the variety occupying land that could be used for the more “elegant” Pinot Noir. 60 years later, Philippe the Good, issued another edict against Gamay in which he stated the reasoning for the ban is that ”The Dukes of Burgundy are known as the lords of the best wines in Christendom. We will maintain our reputation”. The edicts had the affect of pushing Gamay plantings southward, out of the main region of Burgundy and into the granite based soils of Beaujolais where the grape thrived.

Gamay - that’s fruit flananas, isn’t it? Up to a point.

There is now more to these wines than jam today. The Beaujolais-Villages and Régnié from Domaine de la Plaigne have impressive colour and extract; the Brouilly from Domaine Cret des Garanches is enticingly juicy but with the sort of tannin to tackle food and the quartet from Didier Desvignes (there’s a name for a viticulteur) are certainly no bubblegum bimbos. And now to prove that Gamay from old vines on poor soils can compete with the posh neighbours in Burgundy: welcome a silky Moulin-à-Vent from Gay-Coperet, a brilliant, lively Fleurie from Yvon Métras, bitingly mineral Brouilly from Domaine Lapalu and the inimitable Morgon from Jean Foillard. Here be premier cru-sading Beaujolais, intense, naturally made wines from old vines and low yields using minimal sulphur. Gimme that Gamay!

The wines of Domaine du Calvaire de Roche-Gres demonstrate the way Gamay can interpret different terroirs.  A delicious purple-robed wine throbbing with floral aromas – roses, irises and elderflowers – the Chiroubles is the lightest and sweetest of the cru Beaujolais. The vineyard has a favourable east to south-east exposition on granitic slopes. After a five to seven day carbonic maceration the wine remains in tank before assemblage. The Fleurie (vines on pink granite) is made in the same fashion with an extra couple of day’s maceration. A lovely nose of violets greets you, whilst in the mouth pure finesse and suppleness leads to notes of mineral. This would flow throughout the meal with bird of any feather- roast partridge stuffed with herbs might be one choice.

The Morgon , from a single vineyard with exceptional terroir, is ample and balanced with robust cherry and apricot fruit. The Morgon wines, particularly the Charmes, will morgonne, as the French would say, in other words, develop slowly and uniquely, eventually taking on the characteristics and qualities of a red Burgundy. The vines grow on shale with deposits of ferrous oxide and manganese sometimes called terre pourrie or rotten soil.  The resultant wines exhibit aromas of kirsch and fruit eaux de vie as well as subtler mineral characteristics inherited from the schistous terroir. The expression “the fruit of Beaujolais, the charm of Burgundy” describes this à point. 

The Morgon from Jean Foillard is fabulously pure, an unfiltered, unfined, unsulphured turbid Gamay, and has something of the quality of what Keats described as “cool-root’d flowers”. The colour is on the dark side of cloudy ruby red, whilst aromas boom happily out of the glass, notably kirsch, rhubarb and sweet blackberries; there’s a more fugitive bouquet of warm earth, stones and dried spice evolving into dark chocolate and cinnamon. You can stay and play with the generous nose or delve into a palate that seems to meet you more than halfway. It is extremely refreshing, bright sweet fruit is complemented by a smooth, silky tannic structure, somehow immediate and pleasing yet subtle and complex.

I’ve always thought of Brouilly as one quaff away from straight Beau Jolly, in other words red wine red lolly. With Jean-Claude Lapalu’s wine you can detect the fists behind the fruit. This is one of the new crew of sternly-made rock steady cru Beaujolais.
Grapes are hand-picked and sorted, loaded by conveyor to avoid damage, and given neither SO2 nor cultured yeasts during the fermentation. During 8-10 days maceration a wooden grill is used to enhance extraction. The wine stays at least a half year on its fine lees gaining power and complexity. And yet the Brouillys are neither heavy nor clumsy and one could easily imagine them ageing ten to fifteen years.

Outside of Beaujolais Gamay is widely planted in the Loire. The Touraine Gamays of Marionnet are particularly fine ranging from the juicy Primeur to the Gamay de Bouze and Vinifera cuvées. It forms part of a blend with Pinot in the Cheverny Rouge from Domaine du Salvard and with Cot in La Guerrerie from Thierry Puzelat. Gamay flourishes further south in the Auvergne where the mountain wines of growers such as Jean Maupertuis have a lightness of touch combined with a piercing minerality. The grape appears in Gaillac (where it makes primeur wines) and Fronton in blends. It is still the other red grape of Burgundy (Macon-Cruzille) and we have tasted sparkling examples in Cotes du Vendomois (Boisson Rouge) and Valle d’Aosta whilst sitting in a hot spa bath toasting Mont Blanc.

THe most surprising and brilliant example we have tasted recently is a wine called Souteronne from Herve Souhaut (Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet). This is Gamay from old vines, grown on steep vineyard blocks and fermented in cement vats without sulphur addition. It is deliciously balanced with structured blackberry fruit and fine acidity.