The intriguing, tiny, shire-like appellation of the Côtes du Forez is one of France’s hidden gems. Although it is technically part of the Loire department, we tend to associate it more closely with Beaujolais. Firstly, this is a question of geography. The drive from Lyon to La Madone takes roughly an hour and a half, less than half the time it takes to reach this discreet volcano-studded appellation from Sancerre. Then, there is the granite-rich terroir and the key grape variety, Gamay. Sound familiar?Gamay thrives in the volcanic and granite soils of the Massif Central. While the Gamay Noir of Beaujolais and the region’s own biotype, Gamay de Saint Romain, accounts for most of Gilles Bonnefoy’s 12 hectares of vines, he is also one of the few remaining vignerons to cling onto and celebrate his region’s pre-phylloxera heritage. In 2016, Gilles planted a single hectare of vines devoted to Gamay’s ancient teinturiers—red-fleshed cultivars, such as Gamay de Bouze and Gamay de Chaudenay. Thought to be introduced by the Benedictine monks, these old variants are now almost extinct outside the Côtes du Forez appellation, making its wines some of the most unique in France.Far from being a throwback to another time, in Bonnefoy's hands, these varieties are woven together into something any wine-lover can appreciate: a vibrant, delicious red combining low-alcohol, lip-smacking energy and cool, crunchy freshness with marked savoury nuance from its volcanic soils.