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Famously known as the base grape for Beaujolais, Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc is the result of a crossing between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc, a grape of the Middle Ages popular for its adaptability. Gamay traces its origin back to is around 14th century Burgundy, where it flourished despite the efforts of the ruling dukes to outlaw the variety. It is a less fickle and higher-yielding grape than Pinot Noir and tends to produce a wine that is lighter bodied, with a pale color, little tannin and high acidity. Easily taking to the schist and granite soils to the south of the Mâcon, Gamay is used to make everything from seriously minded Cru Beaujolais to the thin, precocious Beaujolais Nouveau.

In terms of style, Cru Beaujolais comes from the best villages in the region and can possess a sophisticated, complex flavor profile. By contrast, when used to produce Beaujolais Nouveau, the Gamay grapes are quickly rushed into a sealed tank and fermented without pressing. The grape bunches toward the top of the tank press those on the bottom, and it all ferments quickly in the carbon dioxide-rich environment; Beaujolais Nouveau is then bottled immediately and rushed out by the third Thursday of November to waiting wine markets. This style of winemaking, a subgenre of whole-cluster fermentation known as carbonic maceration, makes for a very simple style of wine with notes of banana and boiled sweets. However, well-made Beaujolais demonstrates tart red fruit flavors of cranberry, strawberry and redcurrant, with notes of lilacs and dried herbs and a high mineral element. Gamay grows in a few other regions outside Beaujolais, including the Loire Valley, Switzerland and the United States (the original Charles F. Shaw had a go with the variety in the late 1970s).