Gamay, the dominant grape in France’s Beaujolais region, may play second fiddle in the Loire Valley, where Cabernet Franc is the most important red variety. But with Beaujolais prices, especially for the cru wines, rising dramatically in recent years, Loire Valley Gamays are worth seeking out.
Although many of the wines are less expensive than Gamays from Beaujolais, price isn’t the only reason you should consider them.
For one thing, they are relatively light, with alcohol often in the 12 to 13 percent range, which makes them easy to drink and excellent with food, especially lighter dishes like herbed chicken, grilled pork, broiled fish dishes, and — it’s not too soon to mention it — Thanksgiving turkey.
Many of them are fruit-driven, showing a range of red and dark berry flavors, but they are also wonderful at expressing the terroir in which the grapes are grown — clay, sand, limestone, and sometimes granite soils — and often show a textured minerality that makes them all the more interesting.
Most are aged in stainless steel tanks without exposure to oak. They show a good deal of acidity but relatively soft tannins, and they almost demand a slight chill, which makes them even more refreshing and easy to drink as wash-down wines. As in Beaujolais, some are fermented using carbonic maceration.
Loire Gamays are grown in a number of appellations in the Central Loire, perhaps most notably Cheverny in the Touraine region, where they are blended with Pinot Noir. You’ll also find them from lesser-known areas like Châteaumeillant and Côte Roannaise. Many bear the larger Tourarine appellation while still others are simply labeled Vin de France.
Here are nine of the best Loire Valley Gamays:
Domaine Tessier Cheverny ‘Point du Jour’ 2022
You can smell the flinty minerality of this Gamay-Pinot Noir blend. The wine undergoes semi-carbonic maceration and is aged in foudres, large oak casks, resulting in juicy notes of sour cherry, blueberry compote, raspberry, and a hint of vanilla framed by medium tannins and punctuated by lively acidity.
Price: $28
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Domaine du Salvard Cheverny Rouge 2022
This wine is a blend of 55 percent Pinot Noir, 43 percent Gamay, and 2 percent Côt, the regional name for Malbec, grown in sand and clay soils. There’s lots of minerality here with red cherry and blackberry aromas and flavors along with hints of vanilla and baking spices. The domaine is also known for its excellent white Cheverny, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
Price: $18
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Thierry Chardon Touraine ‘Les Chardons’ Gamay 2022
Chalky minerality infuses this superb 100 percent Gamay made with organically grown grapes. Spicy cherry, blueberry, and touches of vanilla and black pepper fill the nose and palate. It’s a fantastic value at $15 or so.
Price: $15
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Gilles Bonnefoy Côtes du Forez La Madone ‘Gamay sur Volcan’ 2023
From the Côtes du Forez appellation in the upper Loire near the northern edge of the Rhône Valley, the vines are grown in sand, granitic, and volcanic basalt soils (hence “Gamay sur Volcan”). Dark fruit notes are accented by a touch of powdered cinnamon, an intense mineral texture, and soft tannins. It’s 100 percent Gamay, and the ‘22 vintage is still around.
Price: $20
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Domaine de la Charmoise Touraine ‘Première Vendange’ 2021
There’s excellent complexity in this 100 percent Gamay by the Marionnet family, which has owned Domaine de la Charmoise since 1850 and whose property lies in Touraine between the rivers Loire and Cher. Cherry, cranberry, and blueberry notes are punctuated by hints of vanilla, leather, and river rocks. The grapes are fermented using carbonic maceration and are aged in stainless steel. The label says this is a “sulfite-free wine.”
Price: $28
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Domaine Reniteo Côte Roannaise ‘Pourpre’ 2022
Made from two clones of organically and biodynamically grown Gamay grapes in Côte Roannaise, this wine is light, fruity, and delicious with notes of raspberry and blueberry, touches of leather and garrigue, and a burst of refreshing acidity on the finish. It has a bit more tannic structure than some. An under-$20 bargain.
Price: $18
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Hervé Villemade Cheverny Rouge 2023
Young and fresh, this organic Gamay-Pinot Noir blend tastes like it just came out of the tank. It’s bursting with summer fruit flavors — ripe strawberry, raspberry — with a touch of vanilla that softens it. It’s cloudy, a sign that it hasn’t been filtered or fined. About as “natural” as it gets and irresistible at just 11.5 percent ABV. Forget Beaujolais Nouveau — try this.
Price: $23
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Terres Blondes Vin de France Gamay 2020
Another wine from the Henry Marionnet domaine, this under-$15 Gamay hits all the right notes with red and dark fruit flavors and touches of cocoa and earth. Made using semi-carbonic maceration and aged in stainless steel and concrete tanks, it shows why Loire Valley Gamay should be on your radar for great values.
Price: $14
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Domaine Siret-Courtaud Châteaumeillant 2021
A blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir from the tiny Châteaumeillant appellation in the Central Loire not far from Menetou-Salon and Quincy, this wine opens up nicely to reveal aromas and flavors of spicy cherry, ripe strawberry, and violets. Hints of orange rind and eucalyptus punctuate the fruit. The wine is aged for one year in stainless-steel tanks.
Price: $23
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