Y. Amirault, Bourgueil, Le Grand Clos

Hazy notes. Lots of red fruits on the light to medium bodied palate - cherries, raspberries. Probably a bit early to open still but it was a solid Cabernet franc. Probably better with food now (B+/A-).

2018 vintage

Deep ruby colour; plenty on a bold bouquet; similarly bold, black fruits, backbone, refreshing acidity; well proportioned throughout. On the upslope.

2018 vintage

First time with this wine. From a mixed case of Amirault's different cuvees. Lovely rich colour, much deeper than his other cuvees - turning from purple to deep ruby red. Long legs, not from the alcohol only 13%, hinting at some richness to come. #sadface No fruit, a whiff of blackcurrant then it's gone, just pencil, graphite and VA on the nose. Bit thin on the palate. Lacking any depth, richness or tertiary development. But this is a wine to …

2018 vintage

Amazing, juicy Cabernet Franc, tannins soft and dry, love it, the rest next day.

2022 vintage

Amazing Cabernet Franc, so profound and easy to drink, while primary seductive too.

2022 vintage

Deep; still reserved, will it ever really shine, old-style, decent weight & well matched to some BBQ rare tomahawk steak.

2014 vintage

13.5% alcohol. The cork is adequate in length but its quality is pretty poor. The colour is fairly deep. Fragrant red fruited nose with some macerated fruit and a wild note; pretty classy. The mouth follows suit with impressive concentration , vg mouthfeel and a lively kick in the finish. Way too young but really promising.

2018 vintage

Really good glass of Cab. Franc! The nose is packed with dark fruit, green bell pepper, black pepper and crushed wet flinty stone gravel. The taste is intense. The green herbal notes and the vibrant acidity brings an unforgettable tickle on the tongue.

2018 vintage

Last bottle and the best. For some reason these took longer than previous vintages to come around. Pencil shaving scented brambly black fruits - classic varietal typicity. Lovely stucture and fine tannins. Textbook Caberner Franc in the best possible way, even if not the best CF I've had.

2014 vintage

Dégusté sur plusieurs jours. Un accord superbe le premier jour avec une émulsion d'aneth pour napper une pizza. Végétal un peu d'astringence, des tanins soyeux. Une persistance assez soutenue

2018 vintage

This 2014 made me proud. I had low expectation of this 7 year old Loire Valley wine. It lost a bit of its tuffaut notes, but the expression of nose and flavours softened and remained rich. Highly recommended.

2014 vintage

Probably my best bottle yet, though not really much different from my previous note and not better enough to warrant an extra point - arguably this was just showing better with the pairing of the evening. Sooty black fruits with pepper and cedar and the funkiness just slightly restrained on this bottle - more gamey than funky. Nice and approachable after a 3 hour decant, with solid, if not thrilling structure. Good, if not remarkable.

2014 vintage

Aha! Now we have something here. Faint touch of funky gameiness blows off and leave a very round, but not overly extracted, black forest fruit nose with touches of graphite and soot. Slightly chewy initially, but this rounds off nicely as well, with an edge of fat around the palate. Structure is in a nice place. When the phenolics behave and everything is knit together, a very lovely wine. Perhaps this just needed time?

2014 vintage

I'm not really sure what to think about these. Another year in bottle and a longer decant (2.5 hrs) and everything just seems to be held back. If anything the nose has the edge over the palate, but despite the darker feel to the fruit, it's still not terribly expressive. The palate has this sense of deeply extracted fruit, but it's more of an essence, with some classic hints of graphite and earth. Tannins are fine, there is structure, but …

2014 vintage

J'abonde dans les mêmes termes que Tige. Je suis amateur de Cab franc et je ne retrouve pas la typicité du cépage dans cette cuvée, ce qui n'enlève rien à ses qualités particulières. Couleur amarante assez dense. Nez de framboise et de noix grillée, je percois à peine des notes végétales. En bouche, continuité, framboise cuite, du fruit généreux nettement à l'avant-plan, une touche acidulé, Le vin est sapide à souhait sans aucune lourdeur. Persistance moyenne. À l'aveugle j'aurais hésité …

2018 vintage

Sec, moyennement corsé, plutôt souple, terreux, sucre 1,5 g/l

2018 vintage

89 Precioso rojo rubí. Nariz varietal, vegetal, pimiento verde. En boca ya está maduro, tanino muy suave y fundido. Buena acidez. En su punto.

2014 vintage

Plutôt atypique (selon mes modestes connaissances) pour un Cab Franc de la Loire. Délicieuse pointe végétale, c'est surtout son côté joufflu et riche qui surprend. À l'aveugle, j'aurais suggéré un assemblage bordelais avec merlot. Tannins souples, belle longueur, bien aimé.

2018 vintage

Dark, opaque core; black fruits, warm; plump, unresolved tannins frame a breadth of fruit, medium/full bodied; impactful finish. Can be enjoyed now but more to come?

2014 vintage

Red wines of the Loire Valley (Zoom tasting) : 45 year old vines, clay, limestone and flint. 100% Cab Franc, 30hl/ha. Medium full, rip and juicy nose, leafy, black currant, black cherry, plum, good structure and firm tannins, lengthy finish, needs time.

2018 vintage

Brambly black forest fruits with touches of violets, there was a bit of a 'natural' stink for the first 30 min. This eventually blew off, but was distracting enough to impede full enjoyment of an otherwise charming wine. Rather ferral and tight at the moment, these seem to need more time for the fruit to open and sooty tannins to soften.

2014 vintage

A bit tannic and reserved, but good acid and balance. Not a terrific value, but generally met expectations. Certainly not a repeat buy.

2014 vintage

Grenat avec disque violet. Au nez, cerises, poussières, cèdres, épices. En bouche, acidité vive, tanins serré, structure qui annonce un beau potentiel. A revisiter dans 2 ans.

2014 vintage

A bit tight and restrained at the moment. Smoky crunch berry fruit with lashings of pepper and graphite. Nothing green here, just mineral driven fruit with some nice sappy tannins. Needs to flesh out a bit. Wait another 2-3 years, though it could age much longer. 90+ potential.

2014 vintage

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Y. Amirault, Bourgueil, Le Grand Clos

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