#5: Gamay. The Heart of Beaujolais. An Approachable Food Friendly Red Wine

Drink
Written By Kris MILLER

Gamay is a fun, playful, and delicious grape. Its reputation is dominated by Beaujolais Nouveau, a simple primeur wine whose popularity peaked in the 1970s and 80s. Since the early 2000s, the 10 Beaujolais Cru appellations have distinguished Gamay as a more serious variety among sommeliers and people in the know. Gamay is a fantastic food wine, especially when grilling or assembling a smorgasbord of diverse flavors.

TASTING NOTES

APPEARANCE

Clarity

Clear

Intensity

Pale to moderate intensity of appearance. Beaujolais Nouveau is quite pale, whereas finer expressions of Gamay produced within the 10 Beaujolais Cru zones can have a darker, more intense, and concentrated.

Color

Bright ruby, often with a bright iridescent pink rim

Certain Beaujolais Cru wines - specifically Moulin-a-Vent and Morgon - produce more full-bodied versions of Gamay that are either deep ruby or purple in color.

Other Observations

n/a

AROMAS ON THE NOSE

Aroma Intensity

Medium to medium plus intensity of aromas

Aroma Characteristics

Tells

Bubblegum, bananas, red candy

Primary Aromas

Red fruit: strawberry, red cherry, raspberry, cranberry, red currant, watermelon

Flowers: violets, lilacs, peonies

Other: slight black pepper, dried herbs

Earth: moderate to high minerality, wet granite, potting soil, crushed rocks and small stones

Oak: non or neutral casks

Secondary Aromas

Carbonic maceration produces banana, bubblegum, pear drop, cotton candy, light red fruit candies

Tertiary Aromas

Usually reserved for age-worthy Beaujolais Cru wines in good vintages: mushrooms, forest floor, clay pot

Aroma Development

Youthful

PALATE & STRUCTURE

Sweetness is dry

Acidity is medium plus to high

Tannin is low

Alcohol is medium

Body is medium minus to medium

Mousse

Flavor intensity is medium plus

Flavor characteristics reflect the light, bright red fruits and candied nature of the aroma

Finish is medium minus to medium plus in Cru Beaujolais

DISTINCTIONS FOR BLIND TASTING

Gamay may be similar to Pinot Noir in a test environment, given that the Pinot Noir may likely be youthful and equally translucent. You must distinguish between the distinct aromas from carbonic maceration and the vibrant, fruit forward aromas from a New World Pinot Noir. Focus also on the use of wood - Pinot Noir will have more distinct oak aromas and more tannin.

HISTORY

PARENTS

Pinot and Gouais Blanc

OFFSPRING

n/a

ORIGIN

14th Century Burgundy, in the Côte d’Or, named after the village of Gamay. Its primary home today is in the hills of the Beaujolais region, which occupies the southern part of the Burgundy wine region directly to the north of the city of Lyon.

PSEUDONYMS

France: Petit Bourguignon, Petit Gamai, Gamay Rond, Bourguignon Noir

Germany: Blauer Gamet


Numerous red-fleshed “teinturiers” which were used to add color to thin, pale blends. The red-fleshed versions are still grown in the Mâconnais and Touraine. 

Names for these teinturiers include: Gamay de Bouze, Gamay Fréaux, and Gamay de Chaudenay,

NAME

Formally Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc

This distinguishes it from red-fleshed Gamay Teinturiers

VITICULTURE

GRAPE CHARACTERISTICS

Thick skinned, early-budding, early flowering, and early ripening.

Prone to spring frosts, botrytis (which is gray rot), and powdery mildew

Flourishes in cool regions

CLIMATE

Generally continental. 

Gamay is most notably produced in the Beaujolais hills south of Burgundy and in Switzerland.

PREFERRED SOILS

Granitic soils as in better Beaujolais vineyards; also schist

LOCATIONS OF PRODUCTION

France: 23,000 hectares (ha) / 56k acres

  • Rhône: 17,443 ha

  • Saône et Loire: 2,261 ha

  • Loire et Cher: 1,554 ha

  • Maine et Loire: 967 ha

  • Tarn: 777 ha

  • Côte d'Or: 179 ha

Switzerland: 350 ha

Canada: Niagara peninsula

US: Willamette Valley

WINEMAKING

STANDARD TECHNIQUES

Carbonic maceration, or at least semi-carbonic maceration, is the signature technique in Beaujolais - especially in the Bas Beajolais and Beaujolais-Village appellations. This process requires carefully placing whole grape clusters in a vat in which oxygen is removed, creating an anaerobic environment. The weight of the clusters on top crush 10-30% of the grape clusters on the bottom, creating normal fermentation below, but the top clusters are then immersed in carbon dioxide and fermentation occurs intracellularly - within each individual grape - which produces a small amount of ethanol and the unique flavor and aroma compounds that give Beaujolais wines their unique aromas and flavors. 

The duration of maceration varies depending on temperature and intended style, but usually lasts from four days to a couple weeks. 

Also unique in Beaujolais, the press wine produced from the pomace is often integrated into the final blend.

In the end, wines made by carbonic maceration have a brighter color, less tannin, and are more distinctly perfumed - those bananas, kirsch, and bubblegum. 

As to finer, more elegant Gamay produced in the 10 Beaujolais Cru subregions, traditional winemaking techniques are applied, similar to the techniques of their northern neighbors in Burgundy. Long macerat

BLENDING PARTNERS

Pinot Noir

EXCELLENT VINTAGES

2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015

2017 to 2020 are known as the “Solar Vintages”

In these years, the sun was abundant but not scorching. In the glass the Beaujolais Crus are richer, inkier, and more generous. Wines from top producers are worthy of aging several years in the bottle.

SERVICE AND FOOD PAIRING

SERVING TEMPERATURE

12-15 Celsius; 55-60 Fahrenheit - cellar temperature

For age worthy Beujolais Crus, you may decant for 30 minutes

Majority of Beaujolais wines - drink within 1 year

Beaujolais-Villages - within 2 years

Beaujolais Crus (especially Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent, Chénas, and Juliénas from good vintages, possible to cellar for 10 or more years

GLASSWARE

Aroma collector

FOOD PAIRINGS

Most anything from the grill - a great summer BBQ wine. 

It’s also a great choice for Thanksgiving when the cornucopia is full of diverse offerings, from turkey, to sweet potatoes, to green beans, and stuffing. 

Gamay is a food friendly wine that pairs well with many different dishes.

Meats

Roasted chicken, chicken Tagine, liver patés, pork sausage, grilled pork belly, creamy stroganoff dishes, spicy tuna rolls, grilled salmon with mustard glaze, light colored fish, fried calamari or shrimp.

Cheese

Chèvre, Comté, Neuchatel, Brie, Raclette, Gruyere, cream cheeses

Herbs and spices

Fennel, anise, mustard, horseradish, caraway, garlic, shallot, bay leaf, dill, sage, mint, clove, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon

Veggies

Spanakopita, olive tapenade, onion rings, spinach salad, capers, dried cranberries, walnuts, pecans, squash

PRODUCERS TO KNOW

CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction

00:44 Appearance

01:14 Aromas

02:18 Palate and Structure

02:42 Distinctions for blind tasting

03:07 History

04:17 Viticulture

05:27 Winemaking

07:13 Service and Food Pairing

09:00 Producers to Know

SOURCES

Kris MILLER
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