Barbara Lebled "Gamay Sans Toi" Vin de France 2022

Barbara Lebled’s "Gamay Sans Toi" is beautifully fragrant and ethereal, bursting with delicate notes of wild strawberry, raspberry and cherry alongside lavender, orange zest and a touch of dark spice. Subtle earthy undertones and a hint of forest floor add complexity while bright, refreshing acidity keeps the juicy red fruit lively. Light on its feet with soft tannins, a plush texture and a long, gently peppery finish, this elegant Gamay is also delicious served with a slight chill.

"Gamay Sans Toi" is a lovely expression of Barbara's thoughtful, low-intervention approach. Made from 100% Gamay grown in Touraine in the Loire Valley on 50- to 80-year-old vines in soil composed of silica, clay and limestone. Although not certified, the vineyard is farmed organically. The grapes are harvested by hand, destemmed and macerated in fiberglass tanks for 25 days before being pressed, then fermented with native yeast and aged in fiberglass without any additions or manipulations. The name of the wine is a pun riffing on the French saying "Jamais Sans Toi" (Never Without You).

In 2019, French winemaker Laurent Lebled purchased 10 hectares of vines and a cellar from a retiring vigneron in the same proximity to the Saint-Aignan vines where he worked historically. Laurent could not handle the large property alone, but fortunately his oldest daughter Barbara was just finisihing her professional studies and had caught the winemaking bug. So Laurent proposed that if Barbara were willing to work the entirety of the estate with him, she could use 2.5 hectares of vines to launch her own project.

She accepted, and in 2019, produced her first vintage of "Gamay Sans Toi." Unlike her father, Barbara has chosen to do a traditional maceration intsead of a carbonic one, making for a more structured affair. Like her father, the wine is intentionally declassified from Touraine to Vin de France and bottled unfined, unfiltered and without the addition of S02.