Hand picked, 100% whole bunch fermented, unfined.

In 1395 Phillippe the Bold banished the Gamay grape from Burgundy in favour of Pinot Noir. There are only 5 hectares of Gamay planted in the whole of New Zealand compared with 5000 hectares of Pinot Noir - so one could say that Phillippe's edict had a far reaching effect. We have been fortunate to visit Beaujolais, the home of Gamay, and taste the best examples. Added to this Rod was lucky to share a bottle of 1929 Morgon - a bottle that clearly illustrates the potential of Gamay to produce a truly great wine. Since then we have harboured a conviction that Gamay could be ideally suited to Hawke's Bay climate.

This is a single vineyard Gamay offering from the Quinn’s meticulously managed ‘Two Terraces Vineyard’ in Maraekakaho. Using artisanal technique of fermenting whole bunches (hand picked) with traditional foot stomping, followed by maturation in a combination of seasoned oak puncheons and our stone egg tanks.

The 2021 is our seventh vintage working with Gamay and that experience coupled with the maturing Two Terraces vineyard has allowed us to craft an exceptional example of this increasingly recognised varietal.

The dark colour hints at the concentration resulting from a superb vintage. Aromas of plum, tar, rose and spice abound. On the palate uncommon power and structure frame abundant fruit, leading to a long finish.

Cellar for: up to 10 years

It’s great on own and it also combines well with a range of cuisine. Try it slightly chilled.

For those who want more detail, download the PDF here.

* After this wine was labelled, we became aware that some of the grapes used in making this wine, that we believed to be Gamay, were actually Pinot noir. This was identified following DNA testing of the grapevines.

While we labelled this wine in good faith, this news means that the label is incorrect, and this wine is actually 70% Gamay & 30% Pinot Noir . (15% is the legal threshold for label integrity). This wine is sold on the basis that the labelled grape variety is incorrect (the label is correct in all other aspects). Due to this unique situation, we are selling our stock that has already been labelled, while making sure that customers are made aware of this issue. If you have any questions about this issue, please contact us [email protected].

Only available for sale in New Zealand.