Yannick Amirault

Bourgueil is located west of Tours in the western part of the Loire Valley. Bourgueil is situated on the northern side of the Loire, across the river from Chinon, and represents one of the northern-most appellations for growing red grape varieties in France. There are a variety of soil types here with the biggest and most cellar-worthy wines generally coming from the best vineyards on the slopes located further away from the Loire to the north and north-east of the town of Bourgueil. The vineyards on the flat gravelly river soils closer to the Loire yield wines which are usually aromatic, elegant and earlier to mature.

Amirault has about 20 hectares of vineyard holdings in Bourgueil, mostly located on, or just at, the base of these slopes to the north and northeast of the village of Bourgueil. Yannicks son Benoit now runs the estate and like his father he has chosen to work organically in the vineyards and is certified organic (Ecocert). All vinifications are made with indigenous yeasts with minimal SO2 and ageing takes place in a mixture of large tronconic oak vats, larger demi-muid barrels and increasingly in clay amphora. Extraction is long (up to 6 weeks) yet very gentle. All wines are bottled un-fined and unfiltered. Amirault produces 5 Bourgueil’s and 4 St Nicolas de Bourgueil’s and a stunning barrel fermented Rosé from which we have selected following;

100% Cabernet Franc for all wines

2020 Bourgueil Rose d’Equinoxe - extremely limited
Very small quantities of this outstanding Rose that we have been trying to buy for years. Fermented and aged in a mixture of demi-muids barrels with a little barrel stirring. Made from very low yields of 25 hl/ha from mostly sandy soils with no de-stemming of the bunches, full fermentation and partial malo is done in barrel for 5-12 months with no racking. Bone dry with zero rs this is one of the most complex and textured Rose wines that we have seen. This is essentially a blanc de noirs, so pale you could be forgiven for thinking it is a white wine. Only a few cases imported and made available to us from the Amirault family stash and we aim to drink it ourselves so if you want a few bottles you will need to be very quick indeed..!! We love this wine.
”The 2020 Bourgueil Rosé d'Equinoxe is a Blanc de Noirs made from Cabernet Franc. It's dry and matured in oak, giving a seamless roundness while lending structure. A twist of tannic grip on the finish makes this a really pleasing, food-friendly wine.” 90 points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media, October 2021.

2020 Bourgueil Cote 50
Not so much a new cuvée from Yannick Amirault, rather expanding on what was La Coudraye, by including fruit from three extra lieu-sits: Les Sables, Les Pins and Les Perrières. The common link is that all these lieu-dits sit at 50m elevation above the Loire, hence the name. The fruit is all hand-picked into small baskets, double sorted and then destemmed but not crushed and fermented in small open vats. Gentle maceration over 3-4 weeks, followed by maturation in old oak foudres and sandstone amphorae for 7-12 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
”The 2020 Bourgueil Cote 50 is made in fruit driven, deeply coloured style thats filled with blue and blackberry fruits. Light in body and fresh, it has a dry, savoury fiish with a surprising clutch of resolved tannins that provide satisfying texture and resolution on the conclusion.” 88 points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media, June 2022.

2020 Saint Nicholas de Bourgueil Les Malgagnes
The original Yannick Amirault parcel is Les Malgagnes, in St Nicolas de Bourgueil, located on the limestone côte, but not quite so far up the slope as the other three limestone lieux-dits which are further along, in Bourgueil. In Les Malgagnes the Amiraults have 2 hectares of vines, split between two parcels, aged on average 50 years. The superficial soils are rich in pale clay, with limestone beneath. Only the fruit from the upper section (above the grassy strip running through the middle of the lieu-dit, if you visit), where the limestone is much closer to the surface, is used for this cuvée. It sees a four-week maceration with an élevage lasting 12 months in large barrels. In 2015, however, a portion was also aged in three large amphorae. Of these, one was bottled as a special cuvée, Les Malgagnes Amphore, while the other was blended with the wine which underwent traditional élevage in oak. In subsequent vintages Yannick and Benoît have continued to produce these twin cuvées, which make for interesting side-by-side comparisons.
”The 2020 Malgagnes is very silky and elegant. The wines caresses the palate with its black cassis, dark chocolate and olive piquancy. Its ripe yet fresh; from chalky-clay soils, this gives a sense of purpose on the finish with fine-grained tannins that are currently abundant but perfectly extracted. Similar maturation to Le Grand Clos but a very different expression and needs laying down.” 93 points, Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media, June 2022.

2018 Saint Nicholas de Bourgueil La Source
Produced from vines planted mostly on sandy soils with an average age of 30+ years, this wine is vinified in tank and aged in large ‘tronconic’ barrels designed specially in this area. The wine is loaded with perfumed cherry and red-currant fruit along with generous hints of spice, white pepper and even chocolate. This is a perfumed and supple wine that is perfect for drinking on its perfumed and fleshy primary fruit.
”This is one of the Amirault family’s entry-level cuvées, here in the St Nicolas de Bourgueil appellation, from 3 hectares of sandy and gravelly alluvial soils just above the village. The nose is rich in red fruits, red cherry with a slightly griddled edge, rich and expressive. The palate is bold, broad and rich, with lots of peppery griddled fruits nuanced with black pepper, black bean and some floral elements. Most apparent of all though is the rich and sandy substance the wine possesses, within which sits all the roasted fruit. A bold style that shows the warm character of the vintage, with a long, peppery and spicy finish. It will have its fans.” 89 points, Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com, February 2020.

2010 Bourgueil Pavillon du Grand Clos - a few bottles from the family cellars arrived June 2022
Made from a tiny walled clos right in front of Nicole & Yannick Amirault's house, located on the prime mid-to-high part of the slope above Bourgueil where the soil has 2 metres of clay over limestone. Planted in the late 1990’s this wine has only been released in 2003, 2005, 2010 and 2017 with other vintages becoming part of the Grand Clos blend.
'A black-tulip core with a claretty rim. The nose is determinedly concentrated, rich in fruit character, led by scents of blackberry, but delivered in a challenging, spicy and sooty style, with notes of black pepper and sweet black liquorice essence. Not to mention the Cabernet character coming through in a quite notable fashion, the fruit expressing itself through the scents of bay leaf and green peppercorn. The palate possesses a creamed-fruit texture, a velvety weight, and it is loaded with ripe and plush tannins. It boasts a massive texture but also a sense of openness and balance, with a little touch of high-toned lift to the fruit. A fabulously ripe wine, but it is bright too, and there is some aromatic complexity here, the middle and end perfumed with violets and rose petals. A serious, hugely structured wine which is brimming with tannic potential. I am glad to have a few more of these tucked away in the cellar.' 96 points, Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com, May 2017.

'Pavillon du Grand Clos is actually the official name of Domaine Amirault, but it also graces the label of their top bottling, which is made from their finest terroir. The vines here are still on the young side by the high standards of this domaine, but the vigor of these fifteen year-old cabernet franc vines is held in check by green harvesting and aggressive pruning. I do not have figures on how much new wood the wine is raised in, but it clearly sees some during its elevage. The 2010 Pavillon du Grand Clos is a young and outstanding bottle of Bourgueil, offering up a primary and very classy nose of dark berries, a bit of roasted meats, espresso, woodsmoke, tobacco leaf, dark soil tones, tree bark and a stylish base of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, focused and rock solid at the core, with a very youthful personality, firm, chewy tannins and a very long, nascently complex finish that closes with superb grip and intensity of flavor. This is a great bottle of Bourgueil in the making, but it will need some time in the cellar to start to blossom. 2020-2045.' 94 points, John Gilman, View from the Cellar.

2019 Bourgueil Le Grand Clos - SOLD OUT
This wine is produced from old vines averaging more than 45 years old which are located around the middle of the slope on the best soils. The soils are superficially clay with flint, a mix also known as perruches, with deeper limestone. The wine is matured in 400 litre demi-muid barrels for 24 months and is the richest and deepest wine in his cellar. In great years the wine is a thick almost impenetrable black colour with amazing concentration and depth of mulberry and black raspberry fruit with anise and spice notes that linger for ages. This is a wine that shows very well at a relatively young age in ripe years like 2019, and which will also age effortlessly for decades. This wine has remarkable depth of fruit supported by substantial fine tannins with just enough acidity to keep the wine fresh and appetizing without becoming too heavy. From the outstanding 2019 vintage, this is a remarkably fresh and pure wine of substantial depth and structure. This is Bourgueil, and Cabernet Franc, at its finest.

'From low-yielding Cabernet Franc vines that average 45 years of age and root in the silex clay soils of the côte, the 2019 Bourgueil Le Grand Clos opens with a pure, fine and intense, concentrated but also aromatic and fragrant bouquet of dark and red fruits and crushed stones along with refreshing lemony and spicy notes. Round and very elegant on the palate, this is a beautifully balanced Grand Clos with a concentrated finish with tight but fine tannins and a fresh acidity that gives a positive astringency. The aftertaste is long and intense but always in balance and underlines the remarkable finesse of this wine that aged for 12 to 18 months in 400-liter tonneaux. Tasted in June 2021.' 94 points, Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate, August 2021.