What could possibly motivate a person to pick up his entire family and leave a successful career in a family business in Washington, D.C., and move to France? Moreover, to move to a small, close-knit farming community that is wary of all outsiders, let alone Americans?
Well, you’d have to ask Alex Gambal, one of the finest producers of pinot noir and chardonnay wines in Burgundy.
In 1993, at the tender young age of 40, Alex moved to France — with his spouse (former U.S. Ski Team freestyle skier), Diana Williams, and their two young children — for what was supposed to be a “one-year sabbatical” from his family’s parking lot and construction business. But as fate would have it, he fell in love with the region and the people. He met fellow ex-pat Becky Wasserman, a well-known negociant, who took Alex under her wing for three and a half years.
After attending wine school — taught in French, which Alex had to learn on the fly — Gambal decided to begin his own winery, Maison Alex Gambal, in 1997 in the Beaune region of Burgundy. He was originally a “negociant” — a winemaker who produces wines from grapes purchased from specific vineyards. Today, while 30 percent of his grapes come from the six acres of vines he now owns, Alex is still considered a negociant, producing about 5,000 cases per year from grapes that come from 18 different vineyards.
He exports about 45 percent of his wines to the U.S. market. He likes to think of his wines as “red Burgundy” and “white Burgundy” and not just pinot noir and chardonnay. He is fond of saying, “My wines taste like a place. In some of my wines, I can even taste the rock from a specific corner of a particular vineyard. You get that kind of that experience in very few places that make wine in the world.”
Gambol also is passionate about the way he makes wines and is dedicated to taking a minimalist approach in the winery. He wants the true nature of each vintage to be uniquely expressed in the glass, so he uses only indigenous yeasts and racks and bottles the wines naturally by gravity, using the phases of the moon as his timetable. All of the white wines — which, by law, must be made with 100 percent chardonnay grapes — are barrel fermented and both red — 100 percent pinot noir — and white wines are matured on their lies (the yeast and natural sediments).
After spending some time with Gambal recently and tasting through several of his wines, I am very glad that Gambal gambled. It paid off. Retail prices are approximate.
2007 Maison Alex Gambal Bourgogne Cuvee Prestige Chardonnay, Burgundy, France ($30)
Parcels of grapes from selected vineyards are vinified (made into wine) separately and aged in oak barrels (15 percent new) for 10 months. Pretty flavors of green apples and citrus in the mouth and on the crisp finish makes this a good pick for seafood-based dishes.
2007 Maison Alex Gambal Chassagne Montrachet (Chardonnay), Burgundy, France ($60)
Beautiful nose of toasted oak, nectarine and pear. Soft fruit notes of nectarine, crisp apple and lemon/lime crisscross the palate and onto the bright, medium finish.
2007 Maison Alex Gambal St. Aubin Premiere Cru Les Murgers Des Dents De Chien (Chardonnay), Burgundy, France ($50)
Scents of vanilla, minerals and white fig dominate the pretty nose. Great acidity supports Granny Smith apple, nectarine and citrus flavors in the mouth. Mineral-laden undertones carry on through the long finish.
2006 Maison Alex Gambal Premiere Cru Volnay Les Santenots (Pinot Noir), Burgundy, France ($50)
Gambal made just 150 cases of this lovely wine. Nose of raspberry, strawberry and hints of smoked meats float out of the glass on the delicate bouquet. The wine possesses a very elegant mouthfeel, featuring flavors of red berry, strawberry and cranberry. A hint of graphite adds just the right note on the stylish finish.
2006 Maison Alex Gambal Chambolle Premiere Cru Les Charmes (Pinot Noir), Burgundy, France ($80)
A fascinating bouquet of orange rind, cinnamon and minerals combine on the fragrant nose. Flavors of watermelon rind (a good thing), pomegranate and cranberry are supported by great acidity in the mouth and covers the entire palate. Subtle notes of violets and berries on the long, graceful finish.
2006 Maison Alex Gambal Clos Vougeot Grand Cru (Pinot Noir), Burgundy, France ($169)
Alex produces only 100 cases of this beautiful top-end pinot noir. The wine possesses a perfumed nose of pan grille, wild strawberry and floral scents. A perfect combination of tannins and acidity accent the fruit — strawberry and light cherry — in the mouth, providing grip and elegance, in the same sip and all the way through to the lengthy, pretty finish.
