21242 customer reviews

Domaine de la Pirolette - Saint Amour 2018

Saint-Amour|Red wine

3.5/5 (36 customers)

92/100

Wine Enthusiast

14,5/20

Bettane & Desseauve

Médaille d'Or

Gilbert & Gaillard

16/20

RVF

Cité

Hachette

Gamay

stylish

success

“A truly exceptional vintage!”

“The nose immediately reveals great skill and a commitment to crafting a refined wine: it is precise and subtle, with mouth-watering notes of dark fruit pulp, elegant herbal undertones, and a delicate toasted reduction. The palate is refined, built around a dense and rich texture. The tannins are perfectly balanced. A beautiful, briny finish with a hint of red fruit. ” (La Revue du Vin de France - June-July 2020). Another success for this 2018 Saint Amour! Ranked by Wine Enthusiast among the 100 best wines of the 2017 vintage, this cuvée proves to be fully realized here, offering a lovely wine full of strawberry flavors and ripe acidity.

Buy your Pirolette wines at the best price in a private sale!

Rated site

21242 reviews

-20€

Starting at €99 on your first order

Estate

Domaine de la Pirolette

Vintage

2018

Designation

Saint-Amour

Region

Beaujolais

Grape varieties

100% Gamay

Terroirs

Stony soils composed of sandstone and blue stone, clay, and granitic sand

Viticulture

Traditional and refined

Grape Harvest

At peak ripeness

Winemaking

Whole clusters or destemmed in cement tanks, using the traditional "toasted hat" technique for gentle tannin extraction

Livestock farming

In a concrete tank

Alcohol content

14.5%

Eye

Burgundy dress

Nose

Rich and delicate, with notes of red berries and Gariguette strawberries, along with hints of violet

Palate

Full-bodied, with a rich, luscious texture, supple and elegant tannins, and a slightly chocolatey finish

Serve

At 14-16°C

Drink before

2024

Food and wine pairings

Pairs well with Bresse chicken, pork tenderloin with mushrooms, or a plate of Pad Thai...

More information at Domaine de la Pirolette

More information at Saint-Amour

Bettane & Desseauve

Wine rated (2020 guide) 14,5/20 (Good wine)

Rated estate (2021 guide) 2*Stars (A solid, recommendable vintage, though slightly more consistent and uniform than the previous one)

About the wine:

This vintage has established itself as a sure bet, with a rich, structured style that keeps the fruit front and center. It’s a real pleasure to drink.

About the estate:

Grégory Barbet, son of the former director of Jean Loron, produced his first vintage in 2013. With 15 hectares of vineyards perfectly situated around the estate, Grégory quickly realized the need to work with the diversity of this appellation, which is better known for its evocative name than for these previously little-known plots. While his village cuvée offers a reliable, structured style, his single-vineyard cuvées, Poulette and Carjot, are still evolving. Indeed, while the use of oak has improved, it is the blending with concrete eggs that has truly brought a more subtle balance to the oak-aged wines, reaching its peak in 2018. In an appellation where benchmarks were lacking, here is a young estate to watch, both for the rising quality of its wines and for the infectious passion that drives this young winemaker.

Guide Hachette des vins

Wine rated (2020 guide) Mentioned (Successful wine)

About the wine:

A Saint-Amour that plays on its roundness and harmony to create a charming profile. It features a structure with supple tannins that lend it elegance. The wine also boasts a rich aromatic profile centered on spicy and jammy notes.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

Rated estate (2021 guide) Recommended (Wine producer recommended by Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate)

RVF - The French Wine Review / Guide to the Best Wines of France

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

Wine rated (2020 guide) 16/20 (Very good wine)

Rated estate (2021 guide) Selected (Please note that this guide is a ranking, and as such, all the estates listed here—even those without a star—represent, in our view, the pinnacle of French winemaking.)

About the wine:

The nose immediately reveals great skill and a commitment to crafting a refined wine: it is precise and subtle, with mouth-watering notes of dark fruit pulp, elegant herbal tones, and a delicate hint of toasted reduction. The palate is refined, built around a dense and rich texture. The tannins are perfectly balanced. A lovely salty finish with a hint of red fruit.

About the estate:

A former sales executive in the cooperage industry, Virginie Barbet purchased this estate in 2013 with her husband Grégory and a few investor friends. The grapes are either destemmed or left whole during vinification, depending on the cuvée. But always with a “toasted cap” accompanied by pumping over and racking to ensure gentle extraction. She then ages their various single-vineyard cuvées—which are among the cru’s most distinctive terroirs—in French oak barrels and concrete eggs. Today, they are among the few estates restoring Saint-Amour’s status as a cru.

Wine Enthusiast

Wine rated (2020 guide) 92/100

About the wine:

Intense strawberry aromas immediately stand out in this wine. Its structure on the palate is typical of the appellation, lending shape and density to this ripe, fruity wine. Best enjoyed starting in 2021.

Gilbert & Gaillard

Wine awarded a Gold Medal

James Suckling

Rated estate (2021 guide) Recommended

Customer rating

3.5/5

based on 36 reviews

Review by Mr. BERNARD L. Published on January 24, 2025

This wine showed great promise in its youth, but upon being rediscovered in early 2025, it left a lot to be desired. It is very subdued and noticeably lacking in body; the fruit is too absent, and none of this bodes well for satisfactory aging.