AMI Beaune 1er Cru Champs Pimont 2020

Maison AMI is the project of sommelier Paul Marchand-Perarnau and winemaker Willy Roulendes, friends who began making wine together in 2014 in the Maranges valley in the south of the Côte de Beaune. Champs Pimont is a Premier Cru climat on the slopes above the town of Beaune, a step up in pedigree from a village wine. The site's limestone rich, well drained soils on a favourable mid slope aspect concentrate the fruit and give the wine its structure, while Burgundy's cool continental climate, with a wide day to night temperature range, keeps acidity high and aromatics precise. The grapes are farmed organically and the wine made naturally, with native yeast fermentation, followed by twelve months in French oak barrels, where measured oxygen exchange rounds the tannins and lends a subtle spice without overwhelming the fruit. The colour is a deep, bright ruby. The nose combines red cherry, wild strawberry, plum and a savoury frame of earth, dried herbs and fine oak. The palate is medium to full bodied for a Pinot Noir, with fresh acidity, firm but silky tannins and a long, mineral, savoury finish that suggests it will reward a few years in the cellar. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted, in a Burgundy glass. It suits roast duck, game and beef.