Oregon's Next Great Red Wines
Gamay was introduced to the state in the middle ‘80s. It was among the cool-climate assortment David Adelsheim returned with from France after touring nurseries there. It’s believed Myron Redford of Amity Cellars was the first to bottle one, in 1988, followed in 1992 by Doug Tunnell of Brick House Vineyards. Others got on board, including Adelsheim, Brian O’Donnell of Belle Pente, Harry Peterson-Nedry of Chehalem, and Bernard Lacroute of WillaKenzie Estate. Early efforts were serviceable and pleasant, less grand than Pinot Noir, but more immediate, reflective of summer’s warmth—the variety performed best in warm vintages, when the wines’ formidable acidity would become less puckery and more succulent.
“Producers of Gamay in Oregon, therefore, are agents of happiness”
For many years, Tunnell’s Due East Gamay bottling at Brick House was the region’s standard-bearer, winning gold medals at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and elsewhere. More to the point, it made Tunnell happy to make it; in fact, recently he surprised himself by replacing an underperforming block of Chardonnay with the variety—bringing his total commitment to 6.5 acres. “I love Chardonnay,” he says. “but with the Gamay I’m getting the wine I really want.”
Read the full article here.