Gamay on the double. But not from its usual home!

Gamay on the double. 

But neither from its usual home!

Henry Marionnet Touraine (AOC) 2015,   12%, €16.65

 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

This Loire red is produced from hand-picked Gamay grapes and the recommendation is to serve it between 8-9 degrees in summer, a few degrees higher in winter.

Mid ruby colour. Raspberry and strawberry figure in the reasonably intense aromas. Juicy and fruity, a touch of spice, excellent acidity and a decent enough finish. The producers say it is imperative to drink it fresh and young, that is to say between 1 and 18 months. I’m afraid I’m a bit late as regards the recommended age, but this 2015 still tasted lively and fresh. Still, Highly Recommended. Might even be Very Highly if I can get a more recent vintage!

The large Touraine area is not usually associated with the Gamay grape but Henry Marionnet, passionate about traditional and natural methods, is generally considered to be the ace producer of the varietal in the Loire.

Some unusual notes (maybe something’s lost in translation) on the website.

1 The harvest is entirely picked by hand with great care and that almost exclusively by women.

2 It is the wine of a whole meal….You will feel good tasting it because the dishes served will appear more light.

3 because of its lightness, it is able “to be drunk with large swipes”.

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Radford Dale “Thirst” Gamay WO Stellenbosch South Africa 2018, 10.0%, €20.95

64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

This one kind of grows on you. Unless you shed it first.

A strikingly light red colour and a funky aroma are the initial greetings from this Gamay, officially classified as a light red. It is indeed light on the palate, expressive red fruits and no shortage of tannin before a lengthy finish with a lingering bitter bite (a little reminiscent of Campari). As well as this Gamay, they also produce a Cinsault and a Clairette Blanche. 

In the Thirst series, the South African vineyard’s aim is to make refreshing, lower alcohol, lower sulphur, wines, with minimal intervention. “We have not stripped them of any natural components and they are neither fined nor filtered and can show an amazing haze." 

"Thirst wines are like a live rock concert rather than a manufactured, boyband studio album. Our aim is to express their environment, their varieties  and vintage, in the most natural way. Our simple logic is the less you manipulate a wine, the better it is - and we therefore capture its integrity, energy and individuality.”

If you like funky rock, try this. If you fancy Boyzone, you're outta time. The initial aromas may not be that inviting, but this light fruity wine gets friendlier as you get to know it.

A Loire White From The Banks Of The Cher. Plus a lovely Chablis.

Loire White From The Banks Of The Cher. Plus A Lovely Chablis.

The historic chateau of Chenonceau

Domaine du Haut Perron Touraine Chenonceau (AC) 2015, 13.5%, €19.95 Le Caveau, Bradley’s Cork

The vineyards for this Guy Allion Sauvignon Blanc are planted on slopes overlooking the Cher River (a Loire tributary), close to the gorgeous chateau of Chenonceauand not too far from historic Amboise (once home of the French royal court) where Leonardo Da Vinci spent the closing years of his life.

No problem with planning permission in 16^th century. Just demolish most of the existing structure and build your own. That was how Thomas Bohier and his wife got to build the fantastic Château of Chenonceau that now straddles the River Cher in the Loire. It is one of the loveliest of the Loire chateaus and also one of the most popular. 

And there were more fascinating ladies right up to the 20^th century when Simone Menier was in charge when two galleries of the chateau were transformed, at her family’s expenses, into a hospital for the wounded of the Great War. During World War 11, Chenonceau was on the line of demarcation and then Simone carried out numerous actions for the resistance. Simone, who died in 1972, was a member of the Menier family, the chocolatiers, who bought the chateau in 1913 and still own it today.

Last year in Cork, I met Nicolas Donne, a representative of Guy Allion, and he was delighted with this wine: “It can be made only in the valley of the Cher, a new appellation since 2011. Aromatic and elegant, it comes in its own unique bottle (made in Italy) and can age for ten years”.

Colour of this well balanced wine is a very light straw. Aromas, of moderate intensity, feature white fruits. It is a crisp wine with delicate fruit flavours (apple, pear, melon), citrus notes too, a noticeable tingle of minerality, all retained to the end. Highly Recommended.

Domaine Gérard Tremblay Chablis (AC) 2015, 12.5%, €20.80 Bradley’s Cork, Le Caveau

Unoaked and produced from 10 to 30 year old vines. Take a look and you’ll see the characteristic light yellow with green tints. Take a sniff and you’ll note the white stone fruits aromas typical of this Kimmeridgian soil. Take a sip and you’ll taste the fruits, lime and apple, on the generous, almost creamy, palate, the local minerality also showing through. Perfectly balanced, more or less, this well made Chablis finishes well and is Highly Recommended.

Wines Direct Hit Double Top With French Pair

Wines Direct Hit Double Top With French Pair

Domaine des Corbillieres Sauvignon Blanc Touraine (AOC) 2015, 13%, €14.35 Wines Direct

Sometimes it pays to go back to the source. And, in this case, you don't have to pay all that much to get a prime bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, one the world’s favourite grapes and certainly one of its favourite wines.

This is a little known classic from the Loire. Well maybe not that little known. M. Robert Palmer has credited the winery with producing “some of the consistently finest, not to mention best value, Sauvignon Blanc on the planet.”

High praise indeed and well deserved for the organic winemakers. This Sauvignon Blanc has the classic aromas of gooseberry and pear, herbaceous and citrus elements on the palate and a strong minerality in the dry finish.  Light bodied and high quality. It may not have much colour but it has everything else. What a pleasant surprise. Very Highly Recommended.

Chateau de Cardaillan Graves (AOC) 2012, 14%, €23.15 Wines Direct

Cardaillan is a vineyard on the eastern edge of Graves, part of the better known Chateau de Malle (famous for its Sauternes). The blend here is fifty fifty between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and it is matured in oak for 12-18 months (depending on the vintage).

It is quite a deep red with a pronounced bouquet of ripe red fruit. The complex fruit flavours and almost velvety tannins endow this medium bodied blend with finesse and an easy drinking elegance. There is a good long finish and acidity enough for food. Wines Direct recommend T-bones but why stop at beef? Try it with lamb and venison too. Very Highly Recommended