Henry Marionnet Touraine Gamay Première Vendange 2020

Welcome to the most diverse area of the Loire Valley – Touraine – where sauvignon blanc, chenin, malbec, and gamay all cohabitate peacefully together. We love the Loire, not just because it’s a beautiful place to visit, but because the quality of wines coming out of the region is magical and never ceases to amaze us! You can also get crazy value for the money, too, like this one. Only $15 with four years of aging? Yep, we’re on it!

The Marionnet family has owned Domaine de la Charmoise since the 1800s. Between the late 1960s and 1970s, Henry Marionnet replanted the vines on the property to focus on making gamay, and as it stands today, the Marionnets’ gamay is considered one of the true gamay styles of the region. Henry’s son, Jean-Sebastien, is now at the helm, continuing the tradition of his father. The domaine cultivates some of the rarest vines in the world, and many of them are pre-phylloxera ungrafted vines. The Marionnet family would be considered “natural wine” producers today, eschewing oak and any chemicals, letting the terroir and wines do their own thing. It’s paid off. This “natural wine” is something we can definitely get down with.

The 2020 vintage of Loire was a good one, and this Gamay Première is simply stunning. The grapes are organic and it’s full of plush, rich fruits, alluring floral sensations, and searingly bright acidity, just like we like it. There’s tobacco notes, and black fruits about, too, like currants, plums, and black cherry cola. We’re truly crazy about this wine, and it’s perfect for summer with a little chill on it, but also a deep-thinking red that has a bit of gravitas for those chilly nights. Buy 3 bottles and it's under $15 each?!?! Fuggedaboutit. We’re in! Get some while you can!