The Pinot Noirs of Oregon’s Willamette Valley have taken their place among the storied wines produced from the grape, and the region’s quality Chardonnays are now getting the recognition they deserve.
But there’s also an emerging player on the Oregon wine scene that deserves more attention: Gamay, or Gamay Noir, as the grape is usually called there.
Gamay, of course, is the signature variety of France’s Beaujolais region, which lies just south of Burgundy. Some consider Gamay “the other red Burgundy,” and it’s not uncommon to see “red wine of Bourgogne” on Beaujolais labels.
Perhaps it was only a matter of time before more of Oregon’s Pinot Noir producers — some with roots in Burgundy — started to embrace Gamay. Based on a broad tasting of the wines in recent weeks, they are definitely on to something.
“Years ago, people had no idea what Gamay was,” says Doug Tunnell, the founder of Brick House Vineyards in the Willamette Valley’s northern Ribbon Ridge AVA. He tells me how it was a hard sell at first, requiring him to explain that “if you’ve had a Beaujolais you’ve had a Gamay.” And now, he says, “we can’t keep it in the house. We can’t produce enough of it.”
Gamay is still a tiny fraction of production compared with Oregon’s signature Pinot Noir (229 planted acres versus about 27,000), but many, if not most, Pinot producers are growing it. Tunnell says interest in Gamay aligns with the trend toward freshness and brightness and away from bigger, heavier red wines, “and I think people just like it. It seems to me it’s been discovered here.” He plans to add another 1,800 Gamay plants this fall, bringing his Gamay total to about seven of his 40 acres.
Other factors include price: Oregon’s Gamays tend to be significantly less expensive than the top Pinot Noirs at a time when sales of those and other wines are soft; and with growing concern about climate change, Tunnell notes that the grape is well suited to the warming trend. “Gamay requires more heat, and it responds to more heat more readily than Pinot Noir,” he says.
The wines are somewhat more fruity than their Beaujolais counterparts, and perhaps not as mineral-driven, though many do show some minerality from the region’s volcanic and sedimentary soils, the latter of which Tunnell believes are particularly well suited to Gamay production. The wines tend to have ripe and generous red and blue fruits, with moderate alcohol levels in the 12 to 13 percent range, and refreshing acidity.
Some use whole-cluster (or -bunch) fermentation, widely used in Burgundy, in which the stems are left on the bunches, which can give the wines more complexity; or the Beaujolais technique of carbonic maceration to ferment the grapes, which gives the wines a more fruit-driven character and softens them.
However they are made, the Gamays of the Willamette Valley are both easy-drinking and interesting to contemplate. I think you’ll find them a welcome addition to your own wine list — if not downright irresistible. Most of the wines below are from the 2023 vintage and are drinking well now.
Here are 10 top Gamays from the Willamette Valley:
Chehalem ‘Stoller Vineyard’ Gamay Noir 2023
From a well-known Pinot Noir producer, there’s beautiful balance in this Gamay with deep red fruits, including spicy cherry and cranberry, and a hint of lavender and cinnamon stick on the finish.
Price: $40
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Et Fille Gamay Noir 2023
If you like racy acidity, this wine’s got it, supporting cherry, pomegranate, and cranberry flavors. It’s got a chalky minerality and a white pepper note and will slice through oily fish like salmon.
Price: $34
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Cooper Mountain Vineyards Gamay Noir 2023
Vivid red and dark fruit flavors are the hallmark of this biodynamic Gamay, which shows perfect balance between fruit and acidity. Hints of brown sugar and baking spices are nice accents.
Price: $35
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Love and Squalor Gamay Noir 2022
This one has the “grapey” quality that comes from carbonic maceration, softening the flavors of blueberry, black cherry, and dried cranberry. But there’s lively acidity, and hints of vanilla, powdered cinnamon, and white pepper make it all the more interesting.
Price: $29
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Walnut Ridge Vineyard Estate Gamay Noir 2023
Darker fruit aromas and flavors, including plum and cassis, are supported by moderate tannins and lively acidity. There’s a vanilla note on the long finish. Walnut Ridge practices dry farming and says it does not use herbicides in its vineyards.
Price: $30
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Brick House ‘Jewel’s’ Gamay Noir 2023
There’s remarkable complexity in this biodynamic wine, one of three Gamays produced by Brick House, one of Oregon’s top Pinot Noir makers. It may be light in color but it has depth and structure with red fruits and hints of vanilla and white pepper on the lengthy finish. It drinks like a top cru Beaujolais.
Price: $55
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Broadley Vineyards Gamay Noir 2022
This one is Beaujolais-like with ripe strawberry and blueberry aromas and flavors and gentle tannins. Broadley sources the grapes from the nearby Walnut Ridge Vineyard.
Price: $35
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GC Gamay Noir Cherry Grove Vineyard 2022
A wet-stone minerality frames this excellent Gamay Noir that shows aromas and flavors of raspberry, ripe red cherry, and blueberry. It’s softly tannic and has a subtle herbal note on the finish. The modest price tag makes it a significant value. The 2023 vintage is also worth trying.
The winery is named for its founder and head winemaker, John Grochau.
Price: $28
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Division Winemaking Company ‘Lutte’ Gamay Noir 2023
Spicy raspberry and blueberry aromas and flavors, baking spices, and a mineral layer are the hallmarks of this Gamay Noir. The winery was a finalist in the 2024 VinePair Next Wave Awards and its 2022 ‘Nightshade’ Nebbiolo from Washington State was one of VinePair’s 50 Best Wines of 2024. Add Division’s Gamays to the list of winners. Also worth trying: Division’s 2023 Gamay Noir “Trois.”
Price: $31
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Flâneur Gamay Noir ‘La Belle Promenade’ 2023
There’s good complexity in this Gamay, which shows concentrated dark fruit notes. The wine opens up nicely in the glass and is softly tannic. Blackberry and cassis flavors are accented by hints of violets, nutmeg, pencil shavings, and a mineral touch on the finish.
Price: $40
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Next up: The sometimes misunderstood wines of Burgundy’s Chablis
