Press release – Tuesday 14 January 2020 In 2020, the world’s best Gamay is a Beaujolais wine: Mommessin’s Saint-Amour 2018, Grandes Mises On Saturday, January 11 of this year, the Gamay International Competition designated a Beaujolais wine as the world’s best Gamay: Saint-Amour 2018, Grandes Mises from Maison Mommessin. 160 professional tasters and knowledgeable amateurs from around the world came to Lyon’s Cité Internationale for a morning of tasting, at which more than 802 Gamays from 4 countries (France, Switzerland, Italy, United Kingdom) were presented. The World’s Best Gamay was chosen by a ‘super jury’ from amongst pre-selected wines. In 2019, the competition designated a Morgon wine from the Franck Chavy Domain as the World’s Best Gamay. MOMMESSIN, ONE FOOT IN BURGUNDY, THE OTHER IN BEAUJOLAIS Maison Mommessin has its roots in the Burgundy wine-growing region near Mâcon, where founder Jean-Marie Mommessin acquired the Grange Saint-Pierre and set up business in 1865. The Grange was an old outbuilding belonging to the Cluny Abbey, whose emblem is Saint Peter’s key. This key would also become Mommessin’s emblem. Extended by each successive generation, Maison Mommessin’s vineyards now reach into the Beaujolais region, and in 1997 the company transferred its headquarters to Quincié-en-Beaujolais, at the foot of Mont Brouilly. Saint-Amour, Morgon, Côte de Brouilly, red Beaujolais-Villages and white Beaujolais Blanc are some of the vintages produced by this year’s prize-winner. Mommessin’s Saint-Amour 2018 Les Grandes Mises, which was elected World’s Best Gamay, was created by a team: Lydie Nesme (winemaker), Florent Georger and Patrick Vivier (technical and administrative managers), Grégory Large (Mommessin CEO), and their winemaker partners. As Florent Georger, technical and administrative manager at Mommessin, explains: “The vintage has its roots in soils composed of very eroded granite. Entire clusters of grapes are put in vats and left to vinify for about 15 days. We rarely pump over wines; we simply perform one or two delestages at the end of fermentation. The wine is matured on fine lees for one year. It has a very beautiful ruby robe with bluish purple reflections. The nose is delicate and presents very ripe black fruit aromas. The overall character is ample and velvety, with spicy notes at the finish. Key words that perfectly describe this vintage are partnerships with winemakers, small volumes, the winemaker’s special touch, and granite soils. I suggest it be enjoyed with chicken in a cream and morel sauce, or cheese. Sales price at the vineyard: €14.95”. This Trophy illustrates the immense potential of the Gamay grape. The Saint-Amour 2018 vintage from Maison Mommessin demonstrates that Gamay grapes can be used to obtain different styles of wine for all occasions: accessible Beaujolais wines for parties, others that are full of character, and exceptional Beaujolais wines. BEAUJOLAIS WINES IN BRIEF The Beaujolais vineyards near Lyon are spread across nearly 15,000 hectares. Two thousand men and women are employed in the region’s wine-growing activities, which include 9 cooperatives and 197 wine merchants. The 12 Beaujolais appellations are all expressive wines, whether they are accessible, full of character or exceptional. They include the 100% red wines in the north: Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin à Vent, Régnié, Saint-Amour; and the Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages wines in the south, which come in three colours and a nouveau wine version. In any case, Beaujolais wines—whether red, white or rosé—are made to be shared. Press contact: Inter Beaujolais - Laura Pillot - Tel. +33 (0)4 74 02 22 16 - Cell +33 (0)6 08 86 02 64 - [email protected] .