Damien Guadagnolo Gamay 2022
Damien Guadagnolo Gamay 2022 – alternate view 2
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Damien Guadagnolo Gamay 2022

Damien Guadagnolo
$46.00

Grape: Gamay
Vintage: 2022
Type: Red

This small-batch red wine showcases a pure expression of gamay from steep, wind-whipped granite slopes in Saint-Amour. Winemaker Damien Guadagnolo utilizes a low-intervention approach, featuring traditional semi-carbonic maceration with whole bunches inside neutral concrete vats. Hand-harvested fruit is handled gently to avoid extracting harsh seed tannins during a warm growing season. Aged on fine lees in old wood barrels before an unfiltered bottling, it presents a transparent look at granitic terroir.

It shows a bright, translucent purple color, releasing clean aromas of wild blackberry, damp violet petals, and cracked black pepper. On the palate, a crunch of wild blueberry and tart cranberry fruit is cradled by fine, chalky tannins. A vertical line of energetic acidity carries the mid-palate, keeping the fluid mouthfeel refreshed. Subtle notes of potting soil and crushed granite add savory depth across the core. It finishes clean, dry, and persistent, leaving a light trace of wild thyme.

Winery

Damien Guadagnolo is a former European professional boxing champion who turned full-time vigneron in the southern Jura village of Orbagna. Before releasing his first independent vintage in 2019, Guadagnolo spent 7 years farming and working alongside Jean-François Ganevat, selling his fruit to his mentor while mastering biodynamic viticulture and zero-additive cellar techniques. Today, he manages 2.8 hectares of biodynamic vines rooted in the limestone, clay, and marl slopes of the Sud-Revermont, focusing on indigenous regional varieties including chardonnay, savagnin, poulsard, trousseau, pinot noir, and gamay.

In the cellar, Guadagnolo applies an intuitive, low-intervention philosophy honed during his time with Ganevat. Red grapes undergo whole-cluster, spontaneous native yeast fermentations in stainless steel before resting in neutral oak barrels, while whites are direct-pressed and aged on fine lees. Bottled without fining, filtration, or added sulfur, his small-batch wines emphasize bright energy, structural clarity, and an authentic reflection of southern Jura soils.