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Chardonnay from France, Côte du Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet, Burgundy
$221
Excellent gear. A step up in acid levels from ‘Les Vergers’. Lovely flavour profile here. From Meadow’s notes the flavour profiles is much the same. What clearly has changed over a couple of years in the bottle is the expression. No longer the shy, reticent teenager. Now a vivacious creature with a certain delicacy and that full flavoured profile I’ve come to expect from Amiot. The flow and texture across palate is excellent with a fine finish. This builds beautifully with time in the glass, the mineral nature coming on.
In stock
Grape variety : Chardonnay
Colour : White
Surface area : 0.66 ha
Exposure : South-east
Soil : Clay and limestone
Vine age : 70 years old
On a steep slope, on a hillside, planted in poor soil, the vine has no other choice than to produce little but to do it well: enduring the dry summers thanks to its deep roots, its work consists of concentrating the best of the terroir (limestone bedrock near the roots and abundant sunshine) in its golden grapes.
With a history that goes back to 1920, the Amiot family has been rooted locally in the Chassagne-Montrachet terroir for generations. The founders, Flavie and Arsène, introduced a winegrowing tradition which was passed down to their son Pierre, then to their grandson Guy and today to the 4th generation represented by the great grandsons, Thierry (1969), Fabrice (1973), and the 5th generation embodied by Thierry’s daughter, Héloïse (1995).
The vineyard philosophy is simple, taking a common-sense practical approach keeping the harm of the environment to a minimum.
Without turning their backs on the beneficial contributions of science (analytical monitoring of the wines) and modern equipment (use of inert gas at bottling, thermo-control of the storage areas), Amiot’s methods of vinification in oak barrels remain traditional. The duration of maturation in barrels and vats extends to 20 months for the whites and 24 months for the reds to develop their aromatic structure.
Fabrice Amiot noted that 2017 was “initially a scary vintage for us as it looked as though we might suffer the same terrible April 2016 frost damage that cost us 70% in total losses. But in an amazingly well-coordinated effort, all the vignerons in the area banded together to burn wet hay to create a smoke screen that helped to avoid any material frost losses. After that the growing season was largely stress-free. We chose to begin picking on the 7th of September and brought in clean and ripe fruit that had good levels of potential alcohols and acidities. Moreover, yields were very good without being high so this helped considerably in filling in the deficit created by the losses in 2016. As to the wines, I find them to be notably more expressive than usual as well as highly aromatic while offering excellent tension and terroir transparency. I think that they should drink well young as there is a tenderness to them and this is true for both reds and whites.” My sense of the quality of the Amiot 2017 whites is that it is consistent with what I generally found elsewhere.
Burghound
Domaine Guy Amiot is homed in the heart of Chassagne with holdings in Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet and St-Aubin.
This is almost completely inexpressive with its highly reticent nose that grudgingly features notes of pear liqueur, citrus rind, apple and soft spice nuances. The round and notably rich medium-bodied flavors again possess a caressing mouth feel along with almost as much mineral character as the Baudines, all wrapped in an impressively long bitter-lemon inflected finish. Very solid quality here. Drink: 2025+
Where in the world does the magic happen?
Domaine Amiot Guy et Fils, Place du Grand Puits, Chassagne-Montrachet, France
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