3 Y.Amirault Bourgeuils (08 + 10), one F.Mabileau 2010

I’ve been really getting into Loire reds over the last few months, buying older vintages to try, especially from Bourgueil. These are just a few impressions:

Yannick Amirault - Le Grand Clos - Bourgueil 2008

Very oaky at first on the nose, but that blew away after an hour. Quite well-structured, with intense notes of redcurrant and cranberry, tongue tingling and moreish. Very enjoyable, it’s probably at peak but with plenty of future ahead.

Y.Amirault - Les Quartiers - Bourgueil 2008

Nearly but not quite as good as the Grand Clos 08, although an excellent wine and better value. No oak at all on the nose, just red berries and a little leather. This has good fruit, mainly red berries, good concentration and good length, with a gentle spiciness to the fruit along with a slightly smoky finish. Very enjoyable and good for several more years.

Y.Amirault - Les Malgagnes - St.Nicolas de Bourgueil 2010

Tasted alongside the Quartiers, this was totally different: much riper, with more zing to the fruit, but also more tannins. Cherry aromas with a touch of cinnamon, perhaps, then some blackberry. In the mouth, much the same, with dark cherry and blackberry, a hint of red berries and a persistent finish. Needs another two or three years, maybe more.

Frédéric Mabileau - Coutures - St. Nicolas de Bourgueil 2010

Again, not quite ready. Bright notes of red berries on the nose, but leaning more towards darker fruits in the mouth, mostly blackcurrants. Very silky, but a little too heady for my taste, probably a high level of residual sugar since it was only 12.5°. I think it just needs a few more years to calm down a bit, but none of the tannins of Les Malgagnes.

The best of the lot was the Grand Clos, followed at the moment by the Quartiers. 2008 is a leaner vintage than 2010, so I was surprised by how well the Quartiers stood up to the Malgagnes. In direct comparison, it was earthier and more profound, but as is often the case when comparing such different vintages, I had the feeling that the 2010s will overtake the 08s in a few more years, even if the 08s confirmed that this is a great vintage for current drinking. All four were extremely well-made, classy wines - they didn’t have that slight chalkiness of most Chinons, but they didn’t have any green notes either, although they all had typical Loire freshness to the fruit.

Anyway, they inspired me to load up on recent vintages. As I’m sure the Loire fans among you will know, the Loire is on a roll at the moment, with very good to excellent vintages from 2014 to 2018, so it’s a great time to get some. The only problem is frost damage, which has affected the last three years and 2019 too: some producers have apparently very little wine to sell.

Have a few Bourgueil put aside but never know when to open! Thanks for this…CF nerd here .

Cheers Bob! Well I had another last night:

Jacky Blot - Domaine de la Butte - Mi-Pente - Bourgueil 2002

Totally different to the others. Bretty, funky nose, with spice and leather dominating the dark cherry aromas. Much more fruit forward, with bright, vibrant notes of cherry and blueberry, but again with a strong hint of brett and funkiness, very reminiscent of Gruaud-Larose. We tasted this with a Lagrange 2004 and although we preferred the latter, it held its own well, showing much more fruit and vitality. It was surprisingly youthful in fact and would have shown up the vast majority of Bordeaux CCs from 2002. Jacky Blot’s first vintage, although he wasn’t in charge of the vineyard until the following vintage, he just picked the fruit and made the wine, as far as I know.

It’s an acquired taste - personally I prefer the Amirault style of wine, but each to their own.