Amazing Organic Wines.
If you love French & Organic Wines, Domaine Yannick Amirault will fit your needs!
If you are an importer looking for really good organic wines ,don’t miss this opportunity!
Interview of Benoît Amirault – Vinegrower– for AsiaImportNews – Exclusive
Could you please tell us the story of your winery, when it was created and how it developed decades after decades ?
The story should have seen Yannick taking over his father. But the after war will see the excess of industrial agriculture with its chemical fertilizers in the 70’s which brought generational conflit on land philosophy.
Yannick decides to create his own domaine in 1977 with 3,90 Ha that belonged to his grand father in the mythical terroir of Malgagnes. Eugene already put that wine in bottle since 1947. Yannick takes over in the 90’s the vineyards of two retiring wine growers, whom one is an emblem of Bourgueil: Le Grand Clos. While spraying fertilizer, Yannick once heard in 1975 his grand father say;”don’ t put too much of it, don’t put too much of it”. He realised he should stop all chemicals on his land, let grass grow between the ranks, practice buds reduction and return to traditional ageing instead of the insipids stainless steal tanks. Today the rules have not changed: rigour, authenticity and perfectionism are the laws we abide by in the Amirault family (isn’t that normal for a family with protestant ancestors!) Benoit Amirault, one of the two sons of Yannick arrives on the domaine in 2003. After 6 years of wine studies, he leaves his job in a reputable vineyard of the Loire Valley to join his father to give heart and life to the heat wave fruits of 2003.
What sort of wines are you producing ?
We produce red and rosé wines from the appellations of Bourgueil and Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil. We take care to produce wine by plot, without blends. We don’t buy grapes, all the harvest is our own production.
Question 3 : How important are your export distribution compared to national distribution ?
1/3 of our production is sold abroad. It should increase to the half in the five next years. We are proud that Bourgueil wines are appreciated by people all over the world.
Question 4 : What sort of distributors are your customers ?
Our customers are mainly restaurants and cellar shops. We don’t do a lot of direct sales : we welcome customers on the wineyards by appointment.
Why your wines are different from other wineries in your area ?
Our goal is not to do different, but to do the best wine possible to deal with the nature can offer to us. We only have one experience per year and we are always learning our craft, each year is different. We are lucky to make the wine we like, to live from it, without being preocupped by wine trends. We also vinificate a unique rosé, made in the historical way of the family : it is the result of a direct press of cabernet franc grapes, there is no skin contact. The juice is the purest possible to made a completly dry wine to maintain the sulfite level low. It’s aged 10 months in barrels.
Do you produce grapes in a organic or environmental friendly method, or with general methods ?
The vineyard has been certified organic in 2009 although Yannick follows the lunar calendar since 20 years. We use a lot of plants infusion in the biodynamic way.
Are your wines already distributed in Asia, and if not what are the countries you are looking for new distributors ?
In present, we are distributed in China and in Taïwan.
Is there anything you want to add about your wines, story or any news ?
We start to use amphoras in 2014 for our historical les Malgagnes cru to preserve the fruit purity. This year, we plan to plant a parcel of chenin blanc on the Grand Clos area, one of the famous cru of Bourgueil appellation. The chenin is a legitimate grape variety here because it was present a century ago.
Thank you Mr. Benoît Amirault, Vinegrower of Domaine Yannick Amirault for your answers !
For all importers
Domaine Yannick Amirault www.yannickamirault.fr
Great mix of Organic & French taste!
