Sergio's Pick

"I view and appreciate wines more so as genres. Deciding which cork I pull is similar to determining which record I put the needle on. It's purely driven by a mood that I want to be in, or one that I'm trying to escape from. Regardless of genre, resonance is perhaps the ever elusive quality that permeates both wine & music to my senses. It's a quality in wine that can be experienced via decades of cellaring or in this case, instantly upon release.

The aromas proudly reveal its sunny disposition with notes of fresh raspberries, strawberry compote, snap peas and rose petal. The palate is featherweight and silky with an understated acidity that energtically carries its mineral-forward texture towards a mild tannic bite that leaves an earthy, fruity and slightly smoky impression.

This wine set me on a philosophical deep dive as I learned more about this project. BiNaume was started by Claire Naudin and her husband Jean-Yves Bizot as a response to the devastating frosts that plagued Burgundy in 2016. This gamay was sourced from Les Terres d’Ocre, a domain located in Saint-Pourçain, which was once the most prized vineyard site in the entire Allier region.

For me, the resonance of this wine is how the project that yielded this wine was born. Life has been handing out lemons to many of us, and I'm thankful for those that are making lemonade. Perhaps the lesson is to not view resilience as an obstacle that creates scars, but rather it can be the conduit to also create smiles. We are huge fans of Naudin's wines and their cheerful disposition. Whether it is this Vin de France or her flagship Burgundies, they always overdeliver. 'Le Gamay de l'Allié' serves as a highly enjoyable, easy to drink but not simplistic introduction to this extremely talented natural wine producer." -Sergio