Gamay in Loire Valley

Domaine Henry Marionnet ★ 4.6

Soings-en-Sologne family estate of 58 hectares mainly Gamay and Sauvignon, with 5.5 hectares of franc-de-pied (ungrafted) plantings and the 200-year-old Provignage Romorantin vine.

Tasting: Visits and tastings at the Domaine de la Charmoise; one of the few growers with ungrafted parcels

Signature wines: marionnet-premiere-vendange, marionnet-vinifera, marionnet-provignage

Tip: Provignage is bottled from a 200-year-old plot of ungrafted pre-phylloxera Romorantin vines at Domaine de la Charmoise (one of the few documented pre-phylloxera plots in France).

Domaine des Huards (Cour-Cheverny) ★ 4.7

Demeter-certified Cour-Cheverny estate working Romorantin, the unique white grape of this tiny Loire AOC. The Francois 1er cuvee is the appellation reference.

Tip: Cour-Cheverny AOC permits only Romorantin (per INAO decree, 1993); the appellation covers roughly 50 hectares planted in total. Book a tasting with Michel Gendrier and ask for a vertical of the Francois 1er cuvee.

Francois Cazin (Le Petit Chambord) ★ 4.6

Family estate working old-vine Romorantin in Cour-Cheverny. Le Petit Chambord is the other essential Romorantin name alongside Domaine des Huards.

Tip: The old-vine Renaissance cuvee Cour-Cheverny is the wine to taste. Cazin's range also includes a deceptively age-worthy Cheverny rouge from Pinot Noir and Gamay.