Our Glorious Gamay Samplers are our solution to the fact that we will not be getting any Beaujolais Nouveaux this year. Trust us, we are just as disappointed as you all are, but none of our suppliers could guarantee delivery of their Nouveau in time for Beaujolais Nouveau Day. Due to the crazy shipping delays we've seen this year, they couldn't even guarantee delivery in time for Thanksgiving. We know this situation will leave some folks saddened, us included, but we've got a scrumptious and comforting solution.
Gamay is the perfect grape for all your Thanksgiving and holidays needs because of its versatility and flexibility with all sorts of foods and occasions. These bottles are quite a bit more nuanced than Beaujolais Nouveau, and they will pair beautifully with turkey, ham, and all your holiday sides. Not only that, they will also introduce you to the very different styles of wines that Gamay can produce. Trust us folks, Gamay isn't always thin and fruity, and you'll realize that as you work your way through this wonderful collection of wines.
1. 2021 La Cave du Prieuré Gamay Rose (Savoie, France): This rose has been a true favorite for us over the last two vintages. Hailing from the Savoie region of France near the border with Switzerland, it offers everything you look for in rosé: bright acidity, delightful aromatics, and a scrumptious palate. Made of 100% Gamay, scents of white flowers, strawberry, and lime zest waft from the glass. It’s then love at first sip with flavors of raspberry, pomegranate, and beautiful minerality dancing across your tongue.
2. 2020 Terres Blondes Gamay (Loire Valley, France): While Cabernet Franc is the first Loire Valley red most people think of, Gamay also does incredibly well here. Made from fruit grown in Touraine, this bottling undergoes a fermentation process called carbonic maceration whereby the grapes are not crushed before they ferment but rather put whole-cluster into the fermentation tanks. This process works especially well with Gamay, and the result is a wine where the brightness and freshness of the fruit is truly on full display. This chillable, quaffable red pairs well with almost anything – or nothing at all!
3. 2018 Chateau Gaillard ‘Petit Rouge’ Beaujolais-Villages (Beaujolais, France): Chateau Gaillard is now in their fifth generation of production, currently run by the incredibly talented Sebastien Gutty. This bottling is hand-harvested from vines planted in 1980, then it undergoes semi-carbonic maceration in stainless steel for 10 days using only indigenous yeast. The result is a vivacious, deep-garnet jewel of a wine that scintillates with notes of crushed raspberry, strawberry, and violets.
4. 2020 Domaine de Colette Beaujolais-Villages (Beaujolais, France): We have carried a number of Domaine de Colette’s Gamay offerings in the past, but, honestly, their Beaujolais-Villages bottling is the one that we keep returning to. We absolutely love what producer Jacky Gauthier does in this bottle of wine. This slightly richer, more full-bodied wine displays aromas of ripe cherry, wild strawberries, and candied violets. It has a touch more structure and its acid backbone makes it perfect to pair with appetizers, especially a charcuterie board.
5. 2020 Jean-Paul Brun Domaine des Terres Dorees ‘L’Ancien’ Beaujolais Rouge (Beaujolais, France): Brun’s Gamay offering comes from 40 to 60 year old vines in the southern part of Beaujolais. He takes a different approach than most other producers in his region. Instead of fermenting via carbonic maceration, he ferments in a Burgundian style where he destems, crushes, and ferments in concrete. As a result, this wine has a great deal in common with Pinot Noir on the nose and palate. It delights with notes of plum, dark cherry, and brown spice. This will be the fullest and richest of the Gamays in the sampler.
6. 2020 Château Cambon Beaujolais (Beaujolais, France): Finally, comes the splendid, floral finale to this holiday offering. Château Cambon consists of 13 hectares of up to 80 year old, organic vines mainly in Morgon. With heavy inspiration from the titan of Beaujolais, Marcel Lapierre, this bottling undergoes minimum intervention, in the best way possible: hand-harvesting, native yeast fermentation in old oak foudres with only necessary sulfur addition. The aromatics of this wine will leave you dazed with pleasure; the floral notes of violets, hyacinths, and rose set the stage for an absolutely scrumptious experience of macerated strawberry, raspberry, and dazzling minerality.
Martha Speegle-Snell
Store Manager
Table Wine Asheville