While gamay may be best known for its role in Beaujolais, it’s not the only place where the gamay grape creates beautiful wine. Niagara on the Lake plays host to a significant amount of gamay, and is one of the best wine regions in Canada (which has the second most gamay planted outside of France). Even though it’s not from France, gamay noir, plays by the same rules in Niagara on the Lake, drink it young to best enjoy the fruit flavors. While the region is still best known for ice wine, they also happen to produce some serviceable and sleek reds that are potentially great for Thanksgiving. So is Trius Gamay Noir 2014 worth adding to the table?
Sight: A light red, ruby in character leaning toward magenta.
Smell: Red currants, under ripe black cherries, and cocoa all lead the nose. The cocoa leans closer to an earthy, soil note, and a subtle amount of floral and herbal smells are all present
Sip: Starting off very bright, it has a light body that dances around on the tongue and is slightly bracing. The flavors of red currant, cranberry, underripe cherries, and subtle earthy notes like cocoa and soil are present. The hints of floral and green are minimized against the fruit and earthy flavors.
Savor: The ending is slightly tannic, but very bright, with herbal notes jumping up and delivering with a bit of powdered cocoa and red currants.
Trius Gamay Noir is an interesting take on gamay, the rarely seen outside of Beaujolais grape that is loaded with red fruit flavors. While typically more toward the bright raspberry, strawberry, boysenberry side, this cool climate example from Trius offers a bright counterpoint that’s more restrained. As such, Trius Gamay Noir could do a good stand in for cranberry dressing from a brightness and red currant perspective. While the price is a little higher than your normal Beaujolais, Trius Gamay Noir could be worth picking up if you prefer your wine on the drier side.
Verdict: Red Currant, Underripe Cherries, Earthy, Bright
Price: $17.95 CAD ($13.60 USD)
Niagara on the Lake, Canada