In a series focusing on Gamay, it’s natural to spend quite a bit of time on its home turf: Beaujolais. I think that this is a region in the ascendant. There are lots of seriously good wines coming from Beaujolais, and committed people are beginning to realize the potential of some super-interesting terroirs for making interesting wine, interpreted through the lens of Gamay. There are also some old vineyards, which is always interesting.

This wine is made from centenarian vines on the lower slopes of the Côte du Py, with its granite and schist soils. This portion of the vineyard is particularly rich in clay, and the result is a concentrated, potentially long-lived wine of real interest. May I present to you: Grand Cru Gamay.

Louis Claude Desvignes Morgon Javernières ‘Les Impénitents’ 2011 Beaujolais, France
From an ancient parcel of Gamay vines, this is dense and structured with sweet blackberry and black cherry fruit, with some sweetness and a hint of liqourice. There’s some spicy warmth here and maybe a bit of pepper, as well as a textured, mineral dimension. This is Gamay at its most serious, and it’s remarkable that such concentration can be achieved at just 12.4% alcohol. 94/100 (£26.50 Berry Bros & Rudd)

Find this wine with wine-searcher.com

• Gamay 1 – RPM Gamay Noir California
• Gamay 2 – Domaine Metrat Chiroubles ‘La Scandaleuse’
• Gamay 3 – Orofino, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
• Gamay 4 – Julien Sunier Fleurie
• Gamay 5- Radford Dale Thirst Gamay, South Africa
• Gamay 6 – Louis Claude Desvignes Morgon Javernières ‘Les Impénitents’
• Gamay 7 – Hauts de Chasselay, Coteaux du Lyonnais
• Gamay 8 – Serol Les Originelles, Cote Roannaise
• Gamay 9 – Te Mata Gamay Noir, Hawkes Bay
• Gamay 10 – Puy de Dome, Auvergne
• Gamay 11 – Beauregard Fleurie
• Gamay 12 – Antoine Sunier Morgon 2014 and Regnie 2014
• Gamay 13 – Thibault Liger-Belair Les Roucheaux 2011
• Gamay 14 – Bow and Arrow 2014 Oregon
• Gamay 15 – Domaine de Fa Beaujolais en Besset 2014
• Gamay 16, Pearl Morissette Cuvée Mon Unique Gamay 2013
• Gamay 17, BK Wines et Le Grappin Les Deux Fous Gamay
• Gamay 18, G Spot Vin de…France, Beaujolais Villages
• Gamay 19, du Grappin Fleurie 2014
• Gamay 20, Lapierre Morgon 2014 ‘N’
• Gamay 21, Bass Phillip Gamay 2014 Gipplsand
  
• Gamay 22, Château de Durette Morgon ‘Hommage’ 2014
• Gamay 23, Joie Farm Gamay 2014 Okanagan, Canada