2020 Marie-Thérèse Chappaz Grain Gamay

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 90 points

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  11/15/2021 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points

  100% biodynamically farmed Gamay grown on the granitic soils of Combe d'Enfer and Les Claives vineyards in Fully. Vinified partly in whole bunches to tame the firm structure of the grapes. Fermented spontaneously. 13% alcohol.
  
  Youthful, rather slightly translucent and quite inky, dark ruby appearance. Fragrant but also rather sauvage and quite primary nose with expressive aromas of brambly raspberries, some zesty notes of brett, a little bit of barnyard, light blackberry and boysenberry tones, a lactic hint of MLF, a touch of sappy greenness and a whiff of damp moss. The description might sound a tad vegetal, but the nose isn't at all herbaceous, just showing rich overtones of funk and earthiness along with primary fruity notes. The wine is lively, fresh and rather sauvage on the palate with a medium body and crunchy flavors of brambly raspberries, some sappy herbal notes, a little bit of tart lingonberry, light animale notes of farmhouse funk, a hint of stony minerality and a touch of ripe dark berries. The overall feel is relatively stern and structure-driven, thanks to the pronounced acidity and moderately grippy medium-plus tannins. The long finish feels lively, spicy and rather grippy with fresh yet funky flavors of tart lingonberries, cranberries and some brambly raspberries, a little bit of ripe blackberry, light funky barnyard notes, a bretty hint of leather and a lifted touch of slightly acetic VA.
  
  A very youthful and quite wild but also very structure-driven and dead-serious Gamay that drinks more like a Morgon or Moulin-à-Vent made in a Burgundian style than something like a simple Beaujolais-Villages Gamay. The style here is quite unadulterated, untamed and funky, but unless one is very averse to brett, there's lots of depth and complexity to the taste, making this a real treat. At the moment the wine feels a bit awkward and too youthful for its own good, showing some candied primary fruit and unintegrated lactic notes of MLF, but I'm positive this wine will come around just beautifully after a few years of aging. Based on the fruit intensity and structure, this will age remarkably well for many years more. Don't drink now - let the wine wait for another 2-4 years minimum, but preferably 7-10 years, or even longer. Once the wine ages so more, it will be a Gamay that can challenge the best names in Beaujolais.

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