Domaine de la Pirolette - Saint-Amour Le Carjot 2022

Bettane & Desseauve

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—better known for its evocative name than for these previously little-known plots. While his village wine offers a reliable and structured style, his single-vineyard wines, Poulette and Carjot, are still evolving. Indeed, while his use of oak has improved, it is the blending with concrete eggs that has truly brought a more subtle balance to the oaked wines, reaching its peak in 2018. In an appellation where benchmark wines were lacking, here is a young estate worth watching—both for the rising quality of its wines and for the infectious passion that drives this young winemaker.

Concours Général Agricole de Paris

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

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

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. Winemaking is done with either destemmed or whole grapes, depending on the cuvée. But always with a “toasted cap” technique, 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 that have restored Saint-Amour’s status as a cru.

James Suckling

About the wine:

A full-bodied red with aromas of chocolate, black cherries, blackcurrants, and raspberry coulis. It is rich and juicy, with a full body and ripe tannins. A concentrated Saint-Amour.

Concours des vins de Mâcon