On my Tour de France this January, upon leaving Bordeaux on my way to the Northern Rhone, I realised I had no winemakers to visit and break up the 500km trip. So, I found the number of Gilles Bonnefoy’s (Vins de la Madonne - a much respected winery in the Eastern Loire) and never having spoken, phone him up to ask him for any hot tips. It so happened that he had just started renting some of his old, organic Gamay vines to a young up-and-coming winemaker called Nadia Beaune who, he says, is making a very tasty wine. So come 7PM I arrive at the house/garage/winery and whilst Nadia wasn’t there, I tasted for hours with her incredibly kind boyfriend (and winemaker) Maxime. Together they have taken it upon themselves to treat the fruit of these exceptional, high quality old vines with the maximum respect and minimal intervention. They started in 2018 by making a single juicy, concentrated Gamay Pet Nat and with a number of other cuvées lined up, it won't be long before I have more.