Yannick Amirault, 2020 Bourgueil "Côte 50"
Cab Franc du Jour #82
Domaine Yannick Amirault is among my all-time favourite producers in Bourgueil. The estate was established in 1977 by Yannick Amirault, and today his son Benoît works alongside him, farming around 20 hectares across both the Bourgueil and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil appellations.
Today’s wine is the Côte 50 2020, sourced from 4.5 hectares across four lieux-dits in the Bourgueil commune: Les Sables, La Coudraye, Les Pins, and Les Perrières.
The Bourgueil Commune
The Bourgueil commune sits on the west side of the Changeon River. The Changeon flows from north to south before making a sharp westward turn, and it is this turn that helps define the southern boundary of the viticultural area in the commune. Two distinct terroir types make up the vineyard landscape here.
The ancient alluvial terrace begins just north of the Changeon, roughly 5km north of the Loire, and stretches just under 2km further north, with vineyards dotted to the north and east of the village of Bourgueil. As has become a consistent pattern across the major Cabernet Franc appellations of the central Loire, elevation plays a defining role in determining what bedrock the vineyards sit on and what kind of terroir is found. In Bourgueil, the ancient alluvial terrace sits between 40 and 52m above sea level, and here the soils are very deep sandy-gravelly loams over a bedrock of Lower Turonian tuffeau.
At the very northern end of the commune, a narrow band of slope vineyards, 300 to 500m wide, rises more steeply, with predominantly south or southeast-facing exposures and a handful of east-facing slopes. At elevations of 60 to 82m above sea level, these vineyards sit under the influence of the Middle Turonian tuffeau.
The Vineyard Selection
The four lieux-dits for this cuvée are all situated at around 50m above sea level, right at the northern edge of the ancient alluvial terrace, which is of course reflected in the wine’s name. The soils here are very deep and predominantly sandy, ranging from 2 to around 6m in depth depending on the parcel, with very little gravel content. The vines average around 35 years of age, and all parcels are farmed to certified organic standards.
In the Cellar
All fruit is hand-harvested and sorted twice before being destemmed without crushing. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeast in open-top wooden fermenters, with maceration by infusion and approximately three weeks on skins. Aging is in foudres for around 7 to 12 months, with an early bottling to preserve the freshness and fruit character of the wine.
Wine Details
Producer: Yannick Amirault
Appellation: Bourgueil
Commune: Bourgueil
Lieux-Dits: Les Sables, La Coudraye, Les Pins, Les Perrières
Soils: Deep (2m-6m) sandy soils of the ancient alluvial terrace at ~50m a.s.l.
Alcohol: 13.5%