The grapes of Beaujolais, the spirit of America

Mistaken grapes
But domestic gamay’s biggest downfall may have been two cases of mistaken identity. Wines known as Napa Gamay and Gamay Beaujolais were routinely bottled in the 1970s by major wineries like Robert Mondavi, with up to 4,000 acres of Napa Gamay recorded in California alone.

Something was amiss. Edmunds recalls working as a Mondavi tour guide in 1977, and telling Mondavi’s son Tim that his Napa Gamay didn’t taste like the real deal. “I got into some hot water,” Edmunds says.

It would be another 19 years, but in 1996 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms decided Napa Gamay was in fact an obscure, dark-berried southwestern French variety known as valdigiué. Vintners had until 1999 to correctly label their wines.  The occasional bottle of valdiguié can be found (J. Lohr, in San Jose, Calif., produces one) but the grape fell from favor.

Then the federal government ripped the mask off Gamay Beaujolais. It concluded, as Oregon had in 1977, that the grape was merely a low-grade pinot noir clone known as pinot droit.  Oregon wineries phased out the name long ago, and others must follow suit by 2007, though it has all but vanished already.

So would the real gamay please stand up?  While French Beaujolais can be wonderful, much is ho-hum, due in part to rampant overproduction.  The best domestic gamays resemble top cru Beaujolais like Moulin-à-Vent or Brouilly — for a similar price. Many are ageworthy.  A recently tasted Amity gamay noir from 1991 was as vibrant as the 2004 bottling, and far more complex.

If Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate this nation’s bounty, including wine, why not uncork a gamay noir from these shores this year? Give thanks for American vintners who remain committed to their ideals, no matter how obscure.

TASTING NOTES
Domestic gamay can be a challenge to hunt down.  These four either currently are available or will be shortly.

Edmunds St. John 2004 "Bone-Jolly" Witters Vineyard gamay noir ($17): From a high-altitude plot in El Dorado County northeast of Sacramento. Vibrant, with classic scents of perfumed strawberry and straw. Balanced and fruity to taste, with a little zing at the end, some hints of moist soil and a bit of tannin to underscore its structure. Like a good Brouilly or Juliénas from Beaujolais.

Brick House 2004 Willamette Valley gamay noir ($19): Fragrant white pepper pops out of the glass on first sniff. Doug Tunnell’s vineyard offers up forward tannins and a dominant scent of dry soil. A bit herbal and chewy, with more white pepper and a little tar at the very end. Curious and engaging, with a hard-edged fullness not unlike a stoic Moulin-à-Vent.  After being open a day, the wine rounds out, tannins soften and mushroom notes appear.

WillaKenzie Estate 2003 Oregon gamay noir ($19): Dark and full-bodied, another sign of how Oregon’s blazing-hot 2003 vintage, like Beaujolais in 2003, yielded big, lush wines. Ripe cherry and stewed strawberry, with green-leaf hints and a whack of fine tannins. Though it’s fleshy, there’s good acidity in its core and a sweet vanilla thanks to 20 percent new French oak barrels used to age the wine. Elegant, though with an alcoholic kick at the end.

Amity 2004 Oregon gamay noir ($16): Bright berry collides with pungent forest-floor notes of pine pitch and mushrooms. Fuller at the start than the finish, but delightfully juicy and forthright, if a bit tart at the end. The foresty notes provide great depth, and make for a pretty, alluring wine.

WHERE TO FIND THEM
Drinkers in states eligible for wine shipping can purchase gamay directly from WillaKenzie (willakenzie.com) and Amity (amityvineyards.com). 

Edmunds St. John (edmundsstjohn.com) and Brick House (brickhousewines.com) list local distributors in many states on their Web sites, and some gamays can also be ordered online via local in-state retailers like Oregon's Avalon Wine, or from major retailers like New York’s Astor Wines and MacArthur Beverages in Washington, D.C.

Information on Chateau Grand Traverse’s gamay is available from the winery (cgtwines.com).

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