Vins de la Madone Côtes du Forez Mémoire de Madone 2021

Vins de la Madone Mémoire de Madone is a 0.8-hectare outcrop of 50-year-old Gamay on basalt at the foot of the Madone volcano, and was the estate’s first parcel.

The Côtes du Forez covers the upper Loire west of Lyon, on the volcanic and granitic eastern rim of the Massif Central, and is planted almost entirely to Gamay. Gilles Bonnefoy farms Vins de la Madone biodynamically, and this site gave the estate both its name and its start. The genetic material is Gamay Saint-Romain, a selection seldom found in the Forez though it keeps a foothold in the Côte Roannaise; Bonnefoy has been sufficiently taken with its small, thick-skinned berries to use massale cuttings from here for his next vineyard. As Richard Kelley notes in his guide to the Loire, the region’s basalt soils are considered its best and rarest, producing more concentrated and age-worthy Gamay. Yields are extremely low, and the wine is raised in 900-litre sandstone amphora, which Bonnefoy finds amplifies its density.

Drinking well now and capable of five to eight years. Serve at 16°C with roast duck, charcuterie or a mushroom and thyme tart.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.