Gamay, Nicolas Delfaud 'Macon Verze'

100% Gamay from old vines 45+ years of age on the steep slopes near the village of Verze.  The soil here is limestone punctuated with clay & marl. It's a super interesting interpretation  of Gamay that has the gentility of Beaujolais but the minerality & depth of Cornas.

Lively aromas of tangy red plum, hazelnut, cherry pie, red apple skin, pops of cranberry and lifted red florals, with cinnamon and nutmeg in support. Nice intensity to the palate which is very lifted, lithe and expressive with notes mirroring the nose gliding through the mouth, framed by a spine of powdery red apple skin tannins and fresh acidity. Some hazelnut and red florals in the mouth perfume. So lithe, bright, energetic and downright delicious.

Up and comer Nicolas Delfaud is making authentic, mineral and balanced wines from east-facing limestone slopes in the appellation of Macon-Verzé. Currently in organic conversion, Nicolas farms 4 hectares of Chardonnay and Gamay vines ranging in age up to 55 years old. Following a philosophy that wine is made in the vineyards, Nicolas tends to be hands off in the cellar and ferments his wines with indigenous yeast and minimal intervention. 

Born in the suburbs of Paris, Delfaud's first career was sommelier and store room manager at a small four-star hotel in Paris. At the age of 32, he decided to follow his heart and begin his formal winemaking education and in 2009 he settled on an estate in the village of Verzé with his two children.