I love Vincent Roussely's pure, honest, and organic Loire Valley wines. We stock four of them, and they're all very well-made, but the Gamay is the one I come back to time and time again.
Vincent Roussely is the 4th generation of his family to tend vines in the Touraine, in the heart of the Central Loire Valley. He farms organically, his vines are old, and the classic soils of the Loire Valley can be sensed quite clearly in his wines, but that terroir character shines brightest in Roussely's Gamay.
Vincent makes his wines in a castle near his vineyards. His great-grandpa bought Clos Roussely in 1917, and he decided it would best serve as a winemaking facility. Vincent continues this tradition, and like the older generations, he makes his wines traditionally and with minimal intervention.
No herbicides, pesticides, or chemicals in the vineyard, native yeasts and minimal sulfur in the cellars -- the resulting wines are not showy or flashy, they're just downright delicious. Ask us about their Sauvignon Blanc, their orange wine, and their dry rosé -- they're all great, but the Gamay is the one that really does it for me. It's interesting without being overly weird or funky, it's perfect with or without food, and it' a bona fide people pleaser.
That's because it's a Gamay that packs more punch. Ruby in color with purple highlights, it smells amazing, with gorgeous aromas of ripe raspberries and cherries, peppery spices, and damp earth. It's jam-packed with classic Gamay character, and the palate lives up to form too. Juicy, silky, medium-bodied, easy to drink, and fresh are terms that best sum it up....
I like this one with a light chill, and it's great with anything from salmon to steak au poivre.
