Region: Beechworth, Victoria
Variety: Gamay
Vintage: 2025
Country: Australia
The Wine
Domenica’s estate vineyard sits on that same elevated Beechworth granite ridge at 460 metres, and Gamay looks increasingly like one of its smartest plantings. It is a natural fit for the site’s combination of altitude, cool nights and mineral soils, delivering a style that can carry perfume and brightness while still holding structure. Domenica frames the wine as inspired by the great wines of Cru Beaujolais, but this is not imitation Beaujolais. It is very much Beechworth Gamay, with a little more seriousness and shape than the grape is often afforded in Australia.
The 2025 release is the third for the wine. Fermentation took place in a large open-top concrete tank with around 15% whole bunches, while the destemmed berries were left uncrushed to allow a gentler extraction and preserve perfume and purity. Maturation followed in foudre and barrique for nine months, a regime that gives the wine contour and savoury nuance without burying the fruit. It is medium-bodied, vibrant and clearly made with intent, rather than as a simple early-drinking red.
This is the kind of Gamay that makes the variety worth paying attention to in Australia. There is red and black fruit, spice, a little earth, floral lift and a more mineral, steelier edge than many examples. It sounds light on paper, but it is not insubstantial. There is enough tannin and enough shape here to make it feel complete, and enough freshness to keep it delicious.
Cellared Says
This is a proper drinker’s Gamay, but it is also a serious one. There’s plenty of juicy charm, as there should be, but it doesn’t stop there. The granite soils and elevation seem to tighten everything up and give it a cooler, finer profile than the more overtly jubey versions of the variety. I like that it feels both easy to love and worth thinking about. That’s a hard balance to strike. For anyone who enjoys Cru Beaujolais, cooler-climate Pinot drinkability or those finer, fresher Australian reds that don’t rely on sheer weight, this is a very smart, value buy.
Wine Reviews
Walsh notes raspberry, black cherry, hazelnut, spice, dried flowers and a cool steel-like inflection, describing it as medium-bodied, succulent and varietally convincing with balanced acidity and a fine sooty tannin finish.
94 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Region: Beechworth, Victoria
Variety: Gamay
Vintage: 2025
Country: Australia
The Wine
Domenica’s estate vineyard sits on that same elevated Beechworth granite ridge at 460 metres, and Gamay looks increasingly like one of its smartest plantings. It is a natural fit for the site’s combination of altitude, cool nights and mineral soils, delivering a style that can carry perfume and brightness while still holding structure. Domenica frames the wine as inspired by the great wines of Cru Beaujolais, but this is not imitation Beaujolais. It is very much Beechworth Gamay, with a little more seriousness and shape than the grape is often afforded in Australia.
The 2025 release is the third for the wine. Fermentation took place in a large open-top concrete tank with around 15% whole bunches, while the destemmed berries were left uncrushed to allow a gentler extraction and preserve perfume and purity. Maturation followed in foudre and barrique for nine months, a regime that gives the wine contour and savoury nuance without burying the fruit. It is medium-bodied, vibrant and clearly made with intent, rather than as a simple early-drinking red.
This is the kind of Gamay that makes the variety worth paying attention to in Australia. There is red and black fruit, spice, a little earth, floral lift and a more mineral, steelier edge than many examples. It sounds light on paper, but it is not insubstantial. There is enough tannin and enough shape here to make it feel complete, and enough freshness to keep it delicious.
Cellared Says
This is a proper drinker’s Gamay, but it is also a serious one. There’s plenty of juicy charm, as there should be, but it doesn’t stop there. The granite soils and elevation seem to tighten everything up and give it a cooler, finer profile than the more overtly jubey versions of the variety. I like that it feels both easy to love and worth thinking about. That’s a hard balance to strike. For anyone who enjoys Cru Beaujolais, cooler-climate Pinot drinkability or those finer, fresher Australian reds that don’t rely on sheer weight, this is a very smart, value buy.
Wine Reviews
Walsh notes raspberry, black cherry, hazelnut, spice, dried flowers and a cool steel-like inflection, describing it as medium-bodied, succulent and varietally convincing with balanced acidity and a fine sooty tannin finish.
94 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
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