Domaine de la Pirolette - Saint-Amour La Poulette 2022

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.

An iconic cuvée that exemplifies the estate’s plot-by-plot approach, aimed at showcasing the terroirs of the appellation. Hailing from the La Poulette vineyard, with its soil of pink granite and clay, this Saint-Amour stands out for its great intensity and its many flavor nuances (red and black fruits, spices, floral notes). This aromatic complexity is accompanied by a long finish and an elegant, refined texture. Another distinctive feature of this wine is its extended aging—16 months—in a concrete egg.

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 involves either destemming or using whole clusters, 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.

A juicy, flavorful Saint-Amour with aromas of tart cherry, raspberry, lemon, and cardamom. It is medium-bodied, elegant, and flavorful, with fine tannins and a long, creamy, and flavorful finish.