2006 Côteaux d'Ancenis Gamay Domaine Guindon – Saint Géréon

After four hours of easy work I had a burger and chocolate malted at a tiny little charcoal grill in Marinette, WI. Then it was a four hour drive across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with views of golden dune grass stark against the white frozen sea. Big and brilliantly black ravens loitered around every curve hoping I would hit something they could eat. I finally crossed the bridge above a Coast Guard ice-breaker clearing the passage for early commercial shipping. Then it was dinner, Guinness and four fingers of Irish whiskey at an empty Mackinaw City pub.

Now I’m getting into some gamay. By god. There is little on the nose other than hints of what is to come through in a fabulous sip. What a fine drink, balanced fruit and acidity and a chalky finish. This wine won’t be defined by a voluminous produce list. It is like a single-name pop star voted into my personal hall of fame. Is compulsive drinkability a good wine characteristic? Another fine Miller Squared import.

It doesn't get much more obscure than Côteaux d'Ancenis. As a matter of record, I pride myself on being a total Loire Valley Wine Geek, and even I hadn't heard of this appellation when Doug brought the wine back from his last trip. Located in the Loire Atlantique, northeast of Nantes, on the banks of the Loire River, this appellation specializes in reds and rosés made from 100% gamay. With a vine age of approximately 38 years Pierre Guindon has 13 hectares in Côteaux d'Ancenis on hillsides made up of clay, granite and schist. He hand harvests (practically unheard of in the appellation) and vinifies each parcel separately as they each have a different style. He keeps his yields very low and has a planting density of 6500 per hectare to encourage concentration.