2025 Domenica Gamay

Peter Graham’s Gamay is quickly becoming one of the smartest buys under his Domenica label. While Beechworth is famous for Chardonnay and Shiraz, Graham is proving the region's cool climate and granite soils are a natural fit for the variety. This is a serious, Cru Beaujolais-inspired wine.

The fruit comes from a south-east facing slope on the estate, sitting at 450 metres. Graham ferments in open concrete tanks with about 15% whole bunches to build a bit of structure and spice, before resting the wine for nine months in a mix of foudre and barriques.

The nose leads with black cherry, tobacco, and forest floor, backed by hints of fennel seed and crushed rose petal. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied and precise. You get an earthy, wet stone character and a touch of cacao, all held together by silky tannins and crisp natural acidity.

It strikes a great balance between immediate appeal and genuine structure. It’s a brilliant drink right now, especially with a slight chill on it, but it has the bones to handle a few years in the cellar if you prefer.

94 points
"It’s medium-bodied, saline and savoury, cherries, lovely stony/graphite tannin makes itself known but sits neatly inside the wine, and there’s a rose and violet mouth-perfume, which is quite the thing, then fresh on a finish of excellent length. Super!"
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)