Montee Des Autrichiens Gamay, Domaine Gerard, Rhone Valley, 2023

Tasting Note

A simply gorgeous and unique take on Gamay coming from the final ever vintage - rose hips, red plums and dark mulberry fruit with a hint of pepper with extra notes of violet and thyme.

Grapes

100% Gamay.

How to Drink

Sip and enjoy some history or pair with delicate venison dishes or slightly richer lamb.

Producer Information

Xavier farms a parcel of massale-selection Gamay in Givors (in the Auvergne) planted in 1980 by his grandfather Pierre, and he produces a mere 2,000 bottles per vintage from this 0.35-hectare plot. This 2023 vintage is the very last vintage of this unique, almost Grenache-inspired Gamay.

Situated at 350 meters altitude, these pudding-stone-littered soils of reddish-brown clay (similar to those found in Crozes-Hermitage) render a wine of notable concentration and structure—a definitively Rhône version of the variety. The name “Les Autrichiens” (“the Austrians”) is a historical reference: the hill upon which the vines are planted—part of Xavier’s grandfather’s farm—is also a burial site for a few Austrian soldiers who perished there during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.

Production Information

This is a sip of quirky history and for that alone it is to be savoured and treasured. 

100% Gamay, Xavier employs one-third whole clusters in the 15 day vinification, with some light punching and 12 months ageing in 228 litre casks.