AMI Volnay 2020

Maison AMI grew out of the friendship between sommelier Paul Marchand-Perarnau and winemaker Willy Roulendes, who began making wine together in 2014 in the Maranges valley at the southern end of the Côte de Beaune. This is their Volnay, Pinot Noir from one of Burgundy's most refined red wine villages. Volnay's limestone and marl soils on gentle, well drained slopes are ideal for Pinot Noir, giving wines that favour perfume and finesse over power, while a cool continental climate with a marked day to night temperature swing preserves acidity and aromatic detail. The grapes are farmed organically and the wine is made naturally, with native yeast fermentation, before twelve months in French oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange softens the tannins and adds a subtle spice and structure without masking the fruit. The colour is a bright, medium ruby. The nose offers red cherry, wild strawberry, plum and a savoury layer of earth, dried herbs and gentle oak. The palate is medium bodied and elegant, with fresh acidity, fine, silky tannins and a long, savoury, lightly leathery finish. Serve at 16 degrees, decanted briefly, in a Burgundy glass. It is excellent with roast duck, game birds and mushroom dishes.