For a variety so maligned for much of the last seven hundred years, Gamay’s stock has taken a stunning upward turn this century. No doubt we have the ever-expanding list of fantastic beaujolais producers to thank for this rehabilitation. But they’re not the only French producers making a statement with Gamay. And for those either newly smitten or long-standing fans of beaujolais, there are some gems a little further west, too.
Travel an hour or so from Beaujolais into the foothills of the Massif Central and, at the upper reaches of the Loire River, you’ll find the Côte Roannaise, a small appellation of only around 200 ha (494 acres) and 30 producers (and 18 tasting notes in our database; you can find it on this World Atlas of Wine map, too). Here, on the region’s volcanic granite soils, Gamay (in its local guise as ‘Gamay St-Romain’) rules the roost.
One of the leading lights in the Côte Roannaise appellation is Domaine Sérol. Run by husband and wife, Stéphane and Carine Sérol, the domaine has 38 ha (94 acres) of vines at around 500 m (1,640 ft) of elevation, which have been gradually converted to organic and biodynamic production.
The focus is, naturally, on Gamay St-Romain, though they do have some Chenin and Viognier, too. And, for proof of how well Gamay works in these volcanic regions of the Massif Central, look no further than Sérol’s aptly named Éclat de Granite 2024, which can absolutely hold its own against the ambitious new-wave beaujolais.
This is a wine of pure Gamay joy: bold, juicy, dark-red fruit holds the centre from start to finish. But that’s not all. It has a wilder side, too. An earthy, barky edge and, appropriately, a bass note of wet-granite-like stoniness, all surrounded by a thirst-slaking freshness and enough grip to add a soupçon of structure. And it packs a characterful punch for only 12% alcohol. There’s no oak adornment here; it’s aged for 11 months in concrete tanks after a slow spontaneous fermentation. Purity and pleasure are the results.
And I’m not the only one on Team JR to have noticed this wine’s manifest charms: Jancis, Tam and Tara have all rated the 2022, 2023 and the 2024 highly (16.5 and above). (In fact, this isn’t the first Wine of the Week appearance for a Sérol Gamay; Jancis featured them back in 2013.)
As I have happily discovered in the current sweltering heat, the juicy, refreshing Éclat makes a superb summer red and takes wonderfully to a little time in the fridge. But I’m confident this wine would see you seamlessly into the warmer, gamey tones of an autumn table, too. And there’s no excuse not to stock up: the Éclat de Granite 2024 is imported by Flint Wines and is available at a very good value £15.50 with The Wine Society in the UK and is distributed at mid-$20 by Becky Wasserman & Co in the US.
Explore more Gamay wines from outside Beaujolais in our tasting notes database, where we have examples from 11 countries.
