Yay for GOUAIS! Only here, only now. (Own a piece of wine history.)
Pricing available as supply lasts.
Did you get this page from a friend or a social media link?
Sign up for our newsletter to never miss info on our Friday offers or upcoming classes and events.
Hi everyone –
It’s time for an only here, only now offer.
That means it’s not available to anyone else in Minnesota except through this offer. Only five cases came to the state of Minnesota, 60 bottles in all. I bought six bottles for myself and future classes (and drank one last night), so that leaves 54 bottles for the millions of people in our great state.
(Did I do a good job on stoking the supply and demand question there?)
Jokes aside, what we have here is not only INCREDIBLE wine but also the ONLY Gouais Blanc available in the country!
What the heck is Gouais Blanc?
{Pronunciation: goo-yay, as in “Yay for goo-yay!”}
It’s a grape that almost went extinct. It’s a grape known historically as “un-noble” and “a ditch grape.”
In an amazing article in Wine Enthusiast, they say the following about Gouais Blanc:
While believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, Gouais plantings were widespread across northeastern France throughout the Middle Ages. The vines were grown on “the mediocre sites, the better sites being reserved for more noble varieties such as Pinot,” reads the 1999 paper [Dr. Carole] Meredith and five other researchers co-authored. Gouais was “a variety considered so mediocre that it was banned (unsuccessfully) at various times in at least two regions and is no longer planted in France,” the paper stated. Even the name Gouais, which derives from the old French adjective “gou,” is a term of disparagement.
Click on the image below for the whole article.
The title of that article is “The Casanova of Cultivars.” For thousands of years Gouais was disparaged and dismissed, but little did anyone know how important it truly was.
It was discovered two decades ago that Gouais Blanc is one of the most important grapes in the history of wine, for it’s one parent of a wide variety of incredibly important grapes: Chardonnay, Gamay, Melon de Bourgogne, Aligoté, Sacy, and many others. The other parent? Pinot Noir!
This was a bit like a noble king having an affair with a commoner, resulting in dozens of heirs to the throne. Cue the Game of Thrones theme!
The image above is from Wine Grapes, the amazing book by Jancis Robinson and Dr. José Vouillamoz that details the DNA and lineage of thousands of varieties. It’s a must own for anyone interested in wine, and a great book to own in a digital format to easily search while sitting in a wine bar. See the full Pinot lineage chart here.
Back in the day, due to the overall poor quality of the wines made with grape, it was targeted for removal and exclusion. But why were the wines so poor in quality? Two reasons.
First, it ripens later than Pinot Noir, and because it was often planted in regions where Pinot Noir existed it can be assumed it was being harvested consistently under ripe (Gouais famously holds its acidity even long after full ripening). The wines were probably shrill, and the grapes low in sugar. No bueno.
Second, and probably more important, Gouais is an over-producer on the vine. So way back when, before the idea of “dropping fruit for quality” was a thing, the large crops would further lead to tart and thin wines. It’s no wonder it developed a bad reputation, especially after more “noble” grapes such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc were on the scene.
But thanks to the recent work of Mark and Pattie Björnson in Willamette Valley, we’re slowly starting to see how remarkable a Gouais Blanc can be. This is truly your chance to taste history in the making.
The only Gouais Blanc grown and available in America
In 2019, Mark and Pattie Björnson of Björnson Vineyard in Willamette Valley became the first American winery (and only second in the world) to plant, grow, and eventually bottle a 100% Gouais Blanc.
We were in Willamette visiting Mark and Pattie in January 2022, and Mark was beside himself with excitement as he showed us the tiny Gouais Blanc planting in his new Pamar Vineyard in the Van Duzer Corridor AVA. The first vintage released in 2022 resulted in a grand total of 60 cases.
This is one of my favorite photos from winter in Willamette. Feel free to download and use as you wish (makes for a great phone background).
So enough of the story … how’s the WINE?
Fantastic. Simple as that.
It’s enough like other wines to not make you question what it’s made of, but it’s enough unlike other wines to make you pause and think.
The famous acidity of Gouais is apparent, and if you’re a lover of Sauvignon Blanc (especially the New Zealand style), you’ll jam on this in a big way. It’s also only 12.3% ABV … so it won’t blow you out of the water.
The flavors run towards lemon and apple, rather than the typical Sauvignon Blanc grapefruit and bell pepper. It is an amazing wine to just sit and smell.
In other words, this is a wine, of top quality, that has huge application when it comes to food and wine pairing.
What would I do with it? Very simple: go to a great cheese shop such as Surdyk’s, France 44, or Kowalski’s, and buy the best goat cheeses they can offer you. Then buy a good baguette, slice it up, drizzle with olive oil, and toast it up. Maybe have a little charcuterie on the side to add some protein and more fat to balance the acids.
Hint: don’t serve this straight out of the refrigerator. Let it come up to temp a bit. Maybe about 45 to 50 degrees. The aromas are delicate and the acidity is high, so serving it too cold will mask the beauty.
Oh my what a night you’ll have!
Final thoughts
Not only is this great on its own or with some goat cheese, but it’s also the PERFECT wine to save and pop for your wine geek friends. You’ll be the only one with Gouais Blanc in your cellar, ready for your guests. I’d drink it in the next 24 months, for we don’t yet know how it will age. Treat it like you would a great Sancerre or Pouilly-Fume.
There are a total of 54 bottles available. Possibly fewer if I buy more for myself and future wine classes. This is the only shipment arriving in 2024.
Almost all of this wine is sold directly out of the winery to consumers and sommeliers. We lobbied hard to get some shipped to Minnesota for you, and many thanks to Mark and Pattie for making it happen!
Jason Kallsen
Sommelier and founder/owner of Twin Cities Wine Education
Offer and special pricing are available as inventory lasts