Over the last few years we’ve been quite focused, maybe too focused, on Oregon Pinot and Chardonnay.
What is your favorite Oregon Gamay, and why? Maybe let us know your preference in style, as this will help us dial in.
Are there any that stylistically compare with decent Bojos, or are they, quite reasonably, a completely different beast?
I’ve really enjoyed Brick House and Vincent, though they were very different from each other, and it’s been a couple of years since I had either.
I love Oregon wine, and I’ve tried to get into Oregon Gamey, but I just can’t get there. Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are outstanding, and the Pinot Blanc I’ve tried is very good. But for my money, I’m grabbing a Beaujolais if I want Gamay (and a Mosel if I want a Riesling).
The Bow & Arrow Rose is a favorite. Anything that Scott does with Gamay is excellent. Sadly I am not sure if he is still doing a single vineyard Gamay Rouge. He does do various blends. The wines are crazy values as well.
Gamay in Oregon tends to be a labor of love, because it never sells for what Pinot or Chardonnay would sell for.
Brick House has been making Gamay here since 1996, and probably has more clonal diversity than anyone else here. I tend to either drink Doug’s Gamays right away, or hold them for 8-15 years. Evan Martin (Martin Woods/HiFi) is obsessed with Gamay, and makes several very good ones as well. We did a survey of Gamay in the WV a number of years ago, and there were more people making them than I thought. I believe Belle Pente makes one, as does One Hundred Suns, Willakenzie, and Evening Land. As Robert mentioned, Bow & Arrow does a good job with the grape.
Brian at Belle Pente makes a good Gamay.
Good call on Evan Martin. He trained at Belle Pente.
The most interesting Gamay project in Oregon is The Color Collector. Vincent makes a great Gamay, of course, cuz he’s the man. I like the Swick Gamay quite a bit, and it’s probably the best-priced wine made from Zenith Vyd fruit. Human Cellars’ Gamay was my favorite WV wine from 2020 that wasn’t Cameron Clos Rouge, and the new vintages are great too. Liska Björnson is dynamite as well. Swing by the shop, Brady, I’ll put a case together for ya 
I’ll second Brick House. Both of Doug’s Gameys are really good.
Nice to see The Color Collector (TTC) mentioned.
While I wouldn’t reach for any Oregon Gamay before my favorite Bojos (Thivin, LaPierre, Breton, Roilette, and Foillard), but occasionally buy and enjoy the Gamay from TTC, Division, Brick House (generally prefer the Due East but like all of them), and Martin Woods.
I’m with you on Vincent, and recommend checking back in on them. @Vincent_Fritzsche’s gamay reminds me of a modern-styled Morgon – not that it’s overly polished, it just has a bit more oomph to go along with the earthiness. I’ve chosen it as my post-Dryuary wine for three years running and love the freshness and vigor. He has two bottlings; a Gamay Noir WV blend as well as one from Bjornson Vineyard. The final vintage of Bjornson was in 2019, but it might still be available for purchase. Here are my CT notes on the Bjornson. The Gamay Noir has a very similar profile.
Perhaps it’s simply a matter of style, but I actually found that the Oregon Gamay I experienced (particularly the Brick House and Martin Woods) tend to have a different savory cut than many Cru Beaujolais. Likely due to the fact that these are often bottled at a full degree less ABV than many modern Beaujolais. I personally love Cru Beaujolais, but I think the quality is there for Oregon Gamay to have a place at the table, and the prices are no longer that different especially if you’re buying through distribution.
For my money, Oregon Chardonnay is still where it’s at, but the quality of the Gamay is real.
That is a very interesting point about the abv difference.
I was surpised to find several 2020 Beaujolais were above 14%, some even hitting 14.5%.
Came here to say how much I love his Gamays. They are distributed over here and it’s really fun to have them alongside Bojo.
I’m going to second Division, red and Rosé is generally delicious.
I just had the Evening Land Seven Springs Gamay (Eola Amity Hills) this week and it’s my new fav. It’s whole cluster fermented but in a foot treading style (similar to how we would handle whole cluster Pinot) so not a fully carbonic style. I prefer it this way-- better texture and body to accompany well-integrated tannins, savory notes from the whole cluster, on top of the bright red-fruit notes. Per the note above, this is at 12.7% ABV. I was speaking to the TR manager about it: gamay is notoriously vigorous and high-yielding, and EVL really does try to limit the yields via pruning and dropping fruit. They feel this is a key factor.
I love the Vincent Gamay. I also buy and drink a fair amount of the Jacob Martin Gamay because it’s really solid for about $22 retail. Jacob Martin is made by Jake Kinne (son of Matt Kinne from McKinlay). I think both McKinlay and Jacob Martin are made at the same facility, but both labels are worth buying. (They seem to be priced in a way where they normally don’t compete with each other). I also picked up a bottle of 2022 Mesa Gamay today that is made by McKinlay. It’s a couple of buck cheaper than Jacob Martin at $19. Haven’t tried it yet, but I tend to like both McKinlay and Jacob Martin, so my guess is I won’t be disappointed.
Echoing everyone that the Vincent Gamays are great. I also have very much enjoyed the Gamay that Jessica from Et Fille has been producing.
I was able to taste the Gamay from Erich at Ricochet in barrels and am very much looking forward to trying it in bottle.
Thanks all for the replies. Between posting and reading the replies, I picked up a bottle of Timothy Malone’s Gamay. I enjoy his Nebbiolo rose, so fingers crossed on this!
I’ll be sure to try your recommendations, starting with a saunter down to @mkanbergs 's fine shop, Taborly Wines. Cheers!
Another vote for Vincent - damn good juice.