Domaine Yannick Amirault - Bourgueil Le Grand Clos 2022

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

The flinty clay soils, resting on the Bourgueil limestone crust, give the Grand Clos an intense yet well-integrated tannic structure and a mouth-watering acidity, often with floral notes.

About the estate:

Yannick and Benoît Amirault are perfectionist winemakers who have naturally transitioned 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 significant number of old vines in each vineyard.

Decanter

About the wine:

Le Grand Clos offers an alluring nose of blackcurrant and black cherries. The palate is silky and smooth, with magnificent ripeness and slightly savory tannins in the background to support the fruit, which is almost succulent. A masterful wine that capitalizes on the strengths of this ripe vintage. It is lush, yet possesses enough mineral restraint and chalky texture to balance its ripeness. Sweet black fruit and savory minerality: what a wonderful combination!

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

The 2022 Grand Clos is sure to delight even the most discerning palates. With a superb carmine hue, this wine offers a rich bouquet of jammy black fruits, toasted wood, and chocolate. Characterized by a warm, full-bodied attack, the palate unfolds with volume and complexity, featuring subtle oak notes with hints of caramel and well-refined tannins. A beautiful vintage that will express itself even better in a few years.

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 wine:

Historically the premier cru of Bourgueil Abbey, the 2022 Bourgueil Le Grand Clos comes from vines planted on a superb hillside composed of flint and limestone. Complex and pure, it offers aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, flowers, and spices, followed by a medium- to full-bodied palate that is enveloping and charming, with a fleshy core of fruit, velvety tannins, and a long, concentrated, and delicate finish. Aged for 15 months in 75% barrels and 25% earthenware jars, it has real potential to improve with cellaring over the next 3 to 5 years.

About the estate:

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

About the wine:

A superb graphite note emerges from the Grand Clos, which displayed exceptional richness and smoothness that year. A very ripe expression that will age gracefully over the next twenty years.

About the estate:

Benoît joined the family estate in Bourgueil in 2003 to carry on the family venture started by his father, Yannick, in 1997. Two-thirds of the vineyards are located in Bourgueil, with the remainder in the neighboring appellation of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. You can sense the winemakers’ perfectionism and their desire to capture the essence of the terroirs through very silky and refined Cabernet Francs that still retain vibrant fruit. The estate has been certified organic since 2009, and the wines gain in purity each year thanks to increasingly precise winemaking methods (truncated wooden vats, barrels, and stoneware jars). The 2022 and 2023 vintages delight us with their frank, clean expression and finesse.

Wine Enthusiast

About the wine:

This wine should not be rushed; it should be savored and enjoyed. This silky Bourgueil caresses the inside of the cheeks with rich black fruit flavors: plum, cherry, and raspberry. The mid-palate is sumptuous, with subtle notes of vanilla and baking spices that linger throughout the tasting.

Vinous

About the wine:

With a richly fruity, silky, and concentrated style that reflects the hot, dry growing season, the 2022 Le Grand Clos offers notes of blackberries and ripe raspberries, along with festive spices. At this early stage, the wine’s structure is almost rectangular, with tannins defining its contours and sharp angles. It is concentrated, long, and fragrant, but after 5 months in the bottle, it needs a few more years for the oak to integrate and its structure to soften.

James Suckling

About the wine:

A balanced, alluring, and sophisticated red with notes of wild berries, dry stone, currants, and exotic spices. It is medium-bodied with fine tannins. Textured and stony with a brilliant character. The succulent fruit meets a mineral backbone that carries through to the dense, flavorful finish. Made from organically grown grapes. Ready to drink now or for aging.