Earlier this week we tasted through Pierre Amiot’s lineup of 2018s. The new vintage is excellent — full, ripe, and lush, but with bold foundation and plenty of material. The Amiots sent along bottles of 2017 to taste side by side, and the comparison was fascinating.
Both 2017 and 2018 are ripe vintages with plentiful fruit, but their underlying textures are worlds apart. Where 2018 tastes young and a touch rustic today, 2017 is already silky smooth. With appealing tannins and relatively low acids, the 17 Red Burgundies have been delightful from the start. Burghound calls it a “user-friendly vintage,” and we agree.
Today we’re suggesting Amiot’s 2017 MSD 1er cru “Aux Charmes.” Their delicious 2018s will be in this Sunday’s Futures release, and due to arrive in July — but this 2017 is in stock today.
The 2017 red Burgundies are gloriously easy to drink. They’re not flat or dull — there’s enough balance and tension to earn their Burgundian heritage — but they’re simply delicious. Amiot’s “aux Charmes” comes from a premier cru plot adjoining the great Grand Cru Charmes-Chambertin, and its name is apt. The wine always shows a silky, charming texture, but in 2017 it’s pleasant a few years ahead of schedule.
Tasting on Sunday, we found the Charmes 17 outstanding. The nose shows candied red fruits and faint toast; the mouth is silky smooth with intense red cherry and cinnamon spice. The tannins are papery, muted, and fine, showing the texture of a far more mature wine. Burghound found notes of “plum, violet and dark currant,” calling it “an exercise in harmony.”
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Amiot Morey-St-Denis 1er “Charmes” 2018
bottle price: $75
FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES