Château des Charmes Gamay Noir Droit, St. David’s Bench Vineyard

Château des Charmes
Gamay Noir Droit, St. David’s Bench Vineyard 2008
Niagara, Ontario

$18-24 +582353 Available in select private liquor stores

www.chateaudescharmes.com

Way back in 1982, Château des Charmes’ founder Paul-Michel Bosc was pioneering clonal selection research at his vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake. When walking through the vines, he noticed a single Gamay Noir vine that exhibited some interesting and unique characteristics. Most noticeably to the eye, the vine shoots grew upright (droit is upright in French). This particular Gamay produced grapes that ripen about ten days later than standard Gamay Noir, building higher sugar levels and achieving darker colour. The result is a red wine with more body, alcohol and flavour concentration.

Bosc began propagation of this single vine, tending and cultivating it for two decades before he was granted international Plant Breeder’s Rights to recognize it as an entirely new vinifera. Therefore, Gamay Noir Droit, Canada’s first vinifera, was born.

Definitely fuller in colour (glowing purple violet) and body than typical Gamay, this single vineyard red opens with wild berries and earth. The juicy palate is potent ripe berry, cranberry and black cherries, with a dark chocolate-cinnamon spiced finish. Solid structure, with lower tannins and a ripe cherry juiciness throughout. This would be great with pasta Bolognese or turkey drumsticks.

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Château des Charmes Gamay Noir Droit, St. David’s Bench Vineyard 2008

Definitely fuller in colour (glowing purple violet) and body than typical Gamay, this single vineyard red opens with wild berries and earth. The juicy palate is potent ripe berry, cranberry and black cherries, with a dark chocolate-cinnamon spiced finish. Solid structure, with lower tannins and a ripe cherry juiciness throughout. This would be great with pasta Bolognese or turkey drumsticks.

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Editor’s Note: I worked with Paul Bosc back in those early days. My job was to clean out the vats ( I was a skinny lad). Then we would walk around the winery sampling from the tanks. His favourite (he said) were the fermenting whites which he called Sturm wine. Sturm referred to the “storm” the raw wine would make in your stomach if you drank too much. His wife would put on on these great spreads of charcuterie and cheeses to feed us workers. It was a heady time in the Niagara. – G.H.