Domaine de la Pirolette - Saint-Amour La Poulette 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, 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

About the wine:

An iconic cuvée that embodies the estate’s plot-by-plot approach, designed to highlight 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 rich array of flavors (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.

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. 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.

James Suckling

About the wine:

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 savory finish.