WTN: 2002 Domaine Merieau Gamay Touraine

[Jean Brislance]

2002 Domaine Merieau Gamay Touraine – This was an impulse buy due to a little handwritten shelf talker that said “Great with chicken!” Since I was planning a French chicken dish that evening and had not chosen a wine already, I grabbed one to test it out. Dark ruby in color. Nose is earthy and herbal, with cherry, thyme, and a pronounced aroma of fresh turned soil. Flavors are also quite earthy, with some cherry, dark dried fruit, minerals, and tea leaves. This may sound weird, but the finish was kind of like an autumn day; some nice fruit, but it also had this earth and dried leaf quality that was pretty interesting and distinctive. It proved to be a great accompaniment to my chicken dish, and had a pleasant, cleansing acidity. A fascinating little Loire red that cost me all of $8.99. Different that anything I have had in quite some time, and a nice food wine.

All the best,

Jean