Gamay that is Never Out of Season
The summer sun is out, accompanied by all the usual seasonal adjustments to habits. Instead of a hoodie to stay cozy for my morning coffee, I now soak up the morning light in the garden and enjoy my brew. Soups and stews are out, salads and grilling are in. Powerful, tannic red wines will have to wait for the Fall, while I deplete my stash of crisp whites and refreshing rosés. There is one type of red wine, however, that I will happily drink year round; a constant pleasure, well suited to any season--Gamay.
I crave Gamay as much now, in the heat of the summer (with a slight chill), as I do in the colder months. It was back in January when I stopped at Domaine de la Paroisse, wrapping up a 1200 miles road trip across Spain and France. I saved a visit to Jean-Claude and Laetitia Chaucesse for last, knowing their gracious hospitality would be welcome at that point in my travels… and because I couldn’t wait to taste the latest vintage of their lineup of Gamay, perhaps the finest I’ve come across.
When I arrived, Jean-Claude was in the upper terraces of his vineyards, hard at work, preparing a new plot for planting this year. It will be the newest addition of vines, adding to the remarkable collection of vielle vignes (45+ years), very vielle vignes (90+ years), and extremely vielle vignes (planted in1878!!) Jean-Claude bounded over with a warm greeting and declared “Let’s taste some wine!”
We spent an hour in the frigid cellars, sampling the young 2024 vintage that will stay in barrel for a year, then moved inside, to taste the recently bottled 2023 vintage. Jean-Claude opened up 5 vintages of his wines for comparison, and it is not an exaggeration to say the 2023's are overall the best wines I’ve tasted from La Paroisse, and Jean-Claude humbly agreed. Suffice to say, over the course of our meal that night, we put that supposition to the test, and by the time we made it to the cheese course, the bottles 2023 were near close to empty. In the morning, I made sure to secure everything they could allocate to me of the 2023 vintage, on your behalf.
• La Paroisse Cuvée ‘Coup de Coeur’ 2023 •
The ‘baby’ of the Paroisse line up, Coup de Coeur is an assemblage of their "merely" old-vines throughout the property, made entirely in tank, and bottled young to preserve its exuberance. A fresh, juicy, oh-so-delicious young red you’ll enjoy any time of year. For the summer, I’d recommend giving it a slight chill to highlight that pure lip-smacking red-current and cherry fruit.
• La Paroisse Cuvée ‘Coup de Foudre’ 2023 •
Following WWII, Jean-Claude's grandfather purchased 3 foudres--large 1000 liter barrels--and they have been in continuous use since then. This wine is the winery's "Ancient" style if you will. Grapes for this wine come from the La Paroisse "medium-aged" vines that were planted, ahem, in the 1930's. Now close to 100 years-old, they give a complex, succulent Gamay that is satin-y from the year spent in the foudres.
The 2023 vintage was exceptional for Domaine de la Paroisse, and the Coup de Foudre is a prime example of the poise and energy that Jean-Claude manages to capture in the bottle. My notes highlight the dark fruit, supple texture and finish that lasted and lasted. A glorious bottle of Gamay for the price.
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Most of you probably already know, these wines are real treasures: old vines, careful farming and winemaking, liquid delight in the glass. We consider it an honor to import these. The only thing better is drinking them! Make sure to stock up on these for enjoyment over the coming months. Grab a selection for your cellar, mix and match between the two; a 6 pack gets you 5% off, or 10% off 12 bottles or more.
Cheers!
Sébastien
P.S. There are a handful of bottles of the La Paroisse 1878 still available. Missed the first offer? Want to add more to your stash? Add a bottle or two before they are gone.