Gamay (佳美)
Gamay
Wine Style:
They are mostly immediately drinkable, light- to medium-weight wines with high acidity and low tannins.
Flavors:
Origin:
Burgundy, Loire in France
Found:
France, and Australia
Gamay is a native French variety planted predominately in Beaujolais where it is the grape behind everything from light and often acidic Beaujolais Nouveau through to the more serious and well-structured wines from the 10 cru villages. It takes its name from a hamlet just outside Chassagne-Montrachet and was at one stage widely planted on the Côte D`Or. However it was gradually phased out due to its poor yields and supposed poor quality of its wines.
The majority of Gamay wines in Beaujolais are labelled as Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages and are deliciously straightforward with juicy, easy drinking, gulpable wines. Of more interest are the Cru wines from the 10 villages in the north of the region where the soil is predominantly granitic schist and where the vines are planted on gently undulating slopes.
These can be well-structured, intensely perfumed wines, redolent of ripe black fruits and, while delicious young, will reward medium term cellaring. Gamay is also grown in the Touraine region of the Loire where it produces soft, well-balanced, gluggable wines for drinking young.
Further Reading:
Wikipedia
Wine Pros
Vinodiversity
Appellation America
Epicurious
Cellar Notes
Terroir France
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