Domaine Yannick Amirault - Bourgueil Cote 50 2022

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Yannick and Benoît Amirault are perfectionist winemakers who made a natural transition to organic farming. They cultivate 19 hectares of Cabernet Franc, two-thirds of which are in Bourgueil and the rest in Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, with a rich heritage of old vines in each area.

Decanter

About the wine:

Lush, alluring black fruit bursts from the glass before giving way to a rich palate featuring pronounced tannins that will soon soften or integrate with a meal. Intended to be the most approachable of Amirault’s wines, this wine nonetheless offers good length and concentration. It can be enjoyed now to savor the fruit, but it would also benefit from being cellared for a year or two. The grapes come from several plots, with the 40-year-old vines primarily planted on sandy and gravelly soils, as well as a small amount of clay.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

Yannick Amirault’s impressive track record has been bolstered by two new stars and a Favorite was undisputed. Hailing from a vineyard plot located 50 meters above the river, this Bourgueil—aged in large oak casks and earthenware jars—has benefited from the generosity of the vintage. Sun-kissed aromas of ripe black fruit and violets herald a long, powerful palate, enveloped in a gentle sweetness and supported by well-integrated tannins. Already delicious, it’s hard to resist its indulgent character, but it will age beautifully.

About the estate:

With vineyards in Saint-Nicolas and Bourgueil, Yannick Amirault is one of the most reliable names in these two appellations. His son Benoît now cultivates the estate’s 19 hectares using organic methods.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the estate:

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

About the wine:

These same sensations are also evident in the Bourgueil Cote 50, which has a firmer structure and a more stony texture: it will develop greater finesse within a year.

About the estate:

Benoît arrived at the family estate in Bourgueil in 2003 to continue the family venture started by his father, Yannick, in 1997. Two-thirds of the vineyards are located in Bourgueil, with the remaining third in the neighboring appellation of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. You can sense the winemakers’ perfectionism and their commitment to expressing the terroirs through Cabernet Franc wines that are silky smooth and refined, yet retain vibrant fruit. The estate has been certified organic since 2009, and the wines gain in purity each year thanks to increasingly refined winemaking techniques (truncated-cone wooden vats, barrels, and stoneware jars). The 2022 and 2023 vintages delight us with their frank, clean expression and finesse.