Vins de la Madone Les Rougeots du Clos Gamays 2022

Vins de la Madone Les Rougeots du Clos is a single hectare at 600 metres co-planted to red-fleshed teinturier clones of Gamay, varieties banned inside the local appellation.

The Monts du Forez sit on the upper Loire west of Lyon, on the granitic eastern edge of the Massif Central, where the Côtes du Forez appellation is planted almost entirely to Gamay. Gilles Bonnefoy farms Vins de la Madone at the foot of the Madone volcano. Les Rougeots du Clos is co-planted to Gamay de Bouze and Gamay de Chaudenay, red-fleshed variants thought to have been introduced by Benedictine monks and now close to extinct outside the Forez, along with a little Gamaret, a Swiss crossing of Gamay Noir and Reichensteiner made in 1970. Because teinturier varieties are outlawed within Côtes du Forez, the wine is bottled under the IGP d’Urfé. The soil is migmatite granite, the signature rock around Montbrison. As a young-vine cuvée it is made without stems, wild-fermented and raised in stainless steel, and bottled with no added sulphur — Bonnefoy uses a little inert gas instead, noting that the teinturier variants resist oxidation.

Drink over the next two or three years. Serve at 16°C, or a touch cooler, with saucisson, a baguette and ripe brie.

*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.