Prefer the old site?Launch →

Yannick Amirault

This has long been one of my favorite estates of the central Loire. Since inheriting the property from his father, Yannick Amirault has transformed it into one of the most respected producers of cabernet franc in France. The 80,000 bottles that he produces each year from his 18 hectares of vineyards are often sold out before they are bottled.

As he is such a quiet gentleman, I have always wondered why he has a cannon for a logo. Was he once a rebel? That role should now fall to his son, Benoit, but the two work so harmoniously together that it is hard to imagine him driving without a cause like James Dean. Both show great respect for nature, keeping their intervention in both vineyard and cellar to a minimum. Not surprisingly, the wines display a harmony and purity not often found elsewhere. In any given year, their Petite Cave is regularly one of my calls for the best Loire Valley cabernet franc of the vintage. Even the rosé, which is essentially a blanc de noir matured in 600-liter casks, can be first class—like all of the reds here.

After tasting the 2013 Malgagnes and 2012 Quartiers from barrel, we concentrated on the 2011s, a vintage that was no cakewalk for anyone on the Loire. None of the recent vintages, though, has been easy. In 2013 frost befell 5 of his 19 hectares only to be followed by rot at harvest. Two thousand twelve was better, but berry shatter limited the crop to only 32 hectoliters per hectare.

When I saw him again after harvest, he was feeling much better. “Two thousand fourteen will be great,” he believes. “However, I still don’t know if it will show the finesse of 1961 or the muscle of 1964.” Either outcome sounds promising.

Anyone serious about cabernet franc should search out these wines. They are currently the benchmarks by which others are measured.

From Loire Valley Cabernet Franc (Dec 2014) by Joel B. Payne

Reviews

Wines

Sort by default

2012 Bourgueil Rosé d’Equinoxe

Release Price: $21

Color: Red

Subscriber Access Only

or Sign Up

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.