Gamay may be best known as the grape behind the great Cru Beaujolais. But it is the second-most-planted red grape in the Loire Valley (behind the epic Cabernet Franc), where it produces a more generous, head-snapping wine that is infinitely gluggable.
Easy to love!
The Winery
Vincent Roussely is the fourth generation of Rousselies to make wines at the family's beautiful 20-acre vineyard site in the heart of Chenonceau on the Cher River. Since 2007 he has farmed his vineyards by hand and horse! As a result, we have seen the health of his vineyards improve immeasurably, which naturally has a direct influence on the wines he produces.
His soils are a mixture of clay and limestone with pockets of Silex where his oldest vineyards are situated, many of which are over 80 years old. His cellar is in an underground tunnel dug into the tuffeau, the regional name for the limestone excavated to build the Valley's famed castles hundreds of years ago when the Loire Valley was a playground for royalty and the rich and famous of Europe. The caves are underneath the vines and have been used to vinify wine for over 250 years.
New fermentation tanks have been put in place, in carved-out recesses in the soft stone. Fermentation occurs spontaneously and develops slowly due to the cave's natural, year-round coolness, and yes, I refer both to its temperature and its hip history.
Vincent’s wines reflect his personality, imbued with both a sense of fun and a huge sense of social responsibility. Both are engaging and compelling.
