Domaine Amirault, 2017 St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil ‘Le Vau Renou’

The estate was established in the 1830s by Octave Amirault when he purchased his first parcels in St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Today, the domaine is being run by Xavier Amirault and his wife Agnès. They farm 34 hectares of vines in primarily St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, with some recently acquired parcels in Bourgueil, including some at Grand Mont in Benais. Their vineyards are all certified organic since 2008 and biodynamic since 2011. The estate makes a diverse range of Cabernet Francs, some employ the philosophy of assemblage, or blending, such as Les Quarterons, Les Gravilices, and the Vieilles Vignes, while others are cuvées parcellaires, that is to say that the fruit is coming from a  single lieu-dit, like Le Fondis, which is from a single lieu-dit on the ancient alluvial terrace, and also Le Vau Renou, which is on the slopes.

So this area of the slopes or the côte in St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil represents a relatively small part of the overall viticultural landscape, accounting for about one quarter of the area under vine in the appellation. Because of how the Loire River begins to turn to the the northwest towards Saumur, the area of the ancient alluvial terrace widens, and the area of vineyards that are on the recent alluvium as well as the côte, where we find the tuffeau-chalk dominated soils, these two areas narrow quite a bit. So this area of ancient alluvium actually accounts for 65% of the vineyard area in the appellation.

The area of vineyards on the slopes stretches the entire width of the appellation, but it does narrow quite a bit as we move east to west, from about 600m wide just west the boundary of the Bourgueil AOP, to only about 300m wide just past the hamlet of La Gardière.

This area ranges in elevation from around 60 to upwards to about 88m above sea level, and while the majority of the vineyards on the côte have a south-facing exposure, there are some sections that are more undulating, following the tree line, and as a result we will find some southeast and southwest exposures as well. And this forested area to the north is important as it provides protection from the cold winds that come in from the north.

In terms of soils, the area of the côte in St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil is dominated by sandy and silty-sand topsoils that are of colluvial origin. These topsoils can vary in depth depending on where you ara, and then they are followed by the Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk, which is the glauconitic-micaceous chalk. In addition to this, we do find the odd pocket of deeper sandy-clays that are mixed with flint and/or sandstone, as well as some deeper aeolian sands.

Looking at the lieu-dit of Le Vau Renou a little bit more closely, this lieu-dit is about 21 hectares in size but only about 11 hectares are planted to vine, and we are situated in a section of the côte just west of the hamlet of La Gardière. Because of how the slope undulates across this area of the tree line, the lieu-dit sits on more of a southeast-facing slope, and it ranges in elevation from around 65m to about 88m at the top of the slope. The lieu-dit sits on the Middle Turonian white tuffeau, and beneath and just east of the lieu-dit itself are the Caves du Vau Renou, which are a series of tuffeau caves that were quarried out many centuries ago, this precious limestone being used to construct the buildings of the villages in the Loire. Today, these caves are used by the vignerons for the aging and storing of wines.

Domaine Amirault has about 4 hectares here, and their holdings can be divided into two parcels that are adjacent to one another and both located mid-slope. One parcel sits up a touch higher, and is dominated by deeper, sandy green clays that are mixed with flint, while the other parcel has more shallow topsoil with a silty-sand texture, followed by the Middle Turonian tuffeau. The vines are on average 40 years of age.

In terms of the winemaking for this wine, and really, all the wines for Domaine Amirault, it is about micro-vinifcations. They have divided their 34 hectares of vines into 58 distinct plots, and each vintage they will typically vinify upwards to 45 different micro-cuvées, treating each a little bit differently depending on the terroir. So, for Le Vau Renou, the two parcels are vinified separately, but are blended before élevage. Xavier said that the fruit from the parcel on the clays provides generosity to the mid-palate, while the fruit from the parcel on tuffeau gives finesse, precision and length.

So for the vinifcation and élevage, it is hand-harvested fruit that is sorted upwards to 3 times in the vineyard and cellar, destemmed and not crushed. The fermentation is in 32 hl large wooded vats, with indigenous yeast, and the fermentation temperature is around 22C, so a little on the cooler side for reds. The maceration is through infusion, and the total time on skis is about 3 weeks. Following the post-fermentation maceration, the free run wine and press wine are blended together, and then the vinifications for the two parcels are blended, then aged in a combination of amphora, and 228L and 500L older oak barrels, about 50% in amphora and 50% in barrel, for about 24 to 36 months.

Key wine facts below:

• Producer: Domaine Amirault (Xavier et Angès Amirault)

• Appellation: St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil

• Commune: St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil

• Lieu-Dit: Le Vau Renou

• Soil: Deep green sandy-clays with flint, clay-loam over the Middle Turonian tuffeau chalk

• Alcohol: 12.5%