Gamay – Celebrations at Dinner Tables

Recently, I had the pleasure to meet a sommelier from Quebec.  She was staying for a few months in our town.  She has worked a few harvests in France with the vignerons whom I respect.  While enjoying a few bottles of wines with her and other friends over a dinner, she blurted out: “Gamay is my favourite.  It accompanies foods so well.”  She went on to say: “Gamay creates an ambiance at a dinner table that no other wines can.” Those are meaningful words that are difficult to describe in words.

With her declaration, I noticed that every bottle on the dinner table was Gamay or a Gamay blend: Noella Morantin ‘Mon Cher’, Puzelat-Bonhomme ‘Le Tel Quel’, Clos duTue-Boeuf ‘La Butte’, Christophe Pacalet ‘Fleurie’, Jean Maupertuis ‘Les PierreNoires’, and Jean Foillard ‘Morgon Cuvee Corcelette’.   Unconsciously, I had brought-up all Gamay and Gamay blends from the cellar for the dinner.

My love for Gamay and Gamay blends know no bounds. Gamay grown in the volcanic hills of Beaujolais and its 10 crus are generally fuller than the Gamay grown on the limestone hills of Loire. Gamay, made with care, has butt-naked exuberance and deliciousness that no other wines can match.  And the prices are so reasonable.

Perhaps, it is the butt-naked exuberance that is translated to the ambiance at dinner tables.  Such ambiance is palpable at my favourite neighbourhood restaurants in Paris: La Nouvelle de Marie, Le Comptoir, Bistro Paul Bert, Le Bratin and Les Pipos.  All restaurants have numerous Gamay and Gamay blends.  Once you experienced such an exuberance evening at one of the restaurants, that joie de vivre will stay with you a lifetime.  Our great local restaurants (L'Abattoir, Pied-A-Terre, Tableau Bar Bistro, La Regalade, Wildebeest and The Acorn - just to name a few) now also carry Gamay and/or Gamay blends from great producers.  

There are more profound wines from other appellations in France, but I cannot think of another varietal that speaks so joyously at a dinner table than Gamay.  Every time my family has a bottle of Beaujolais, Auvergne or Loire Gamay over a meal, I swear there is a hole in my wine glass.  It is empty every time I look at it.

Bourgueil & Chinon – Introvert Personalities of Cabernet Franc

I remember Andre at my high school.  He sat at the back of the Grade 12 Physics classroom.  Although I sat next to him, he hardly spoke a word throughout that semester.  Andre sat quietly at the back of classroom and aced all exams.  It took quite a bit of time to get to know Andre.  Looking back, I understood Andre once I listened to him rather than listening to my own judgement about him.

When I drink one of the cuvées from Catherine and Pierre Breton Bourgueils or Bernard Baudry Chinons, I am transported to the time of understanding Andre. Both Bourgueils and Chinons are made from 100% Cabernet Franc.  It has a strong and silent personality.  

“Cabernet Franc needs élevage”, said Pierre Breton when I visited him this January.  Pierre likes Bourgueils and Chinons with all meats but he likes them particularly with all games, such as ducks and pheasants.  With minimal fruit and scratch tannins wrapped in minerals, the initiation to Bourgueils and Chinons can be not-so-easy going.  Bourgueil and Chinon want time and introspection.  Once one understands Bourgueil and Chinon, it is a lifetime of love.