Domaine Pierre Amiot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2017

Alcohol: 13.5%

Grape(s): Pinot Noir

Localization: Burgundy, France

Tasting Notes: Ruby to garnet in color. Aromas of truffles, cherries, roses, spices, violets, nuts, and blueberries.
Powerful and well-balanced, this is a wine with great complexity and exceptional length.

Notes: Its name comes from the topography of this previously “enclosed” vineyard, which our ancestors called “sur la roche” because it looks like it is planted on rock. Another theory is that there was a boulder here that was attached to the local Celtic cult. Domaine Amiot has had this appellation for 4 generations.
The vineyards face east-southeast at an altitude of 270m (885 feet), with soils of limestone, gravel and boulder. Clos de la Roche is situated to the south of Les Combottes, near Clos-Saint-Denis. Our Clos de la Roche is a blend of 5 different parcels: two are on the top of the hill in the lieu-dit Monts luisants, one is in the middle of the Fremières and two are downhill from the lieu-dits les Mochamps and les Chabiots.
From the vineyard to the winery, each operation is adapted to the vintage to make the best wines possible and to fully express the parcels’ terroir. 50% of new oak barrels are used for the aging process.

Food Pairing: This wine pairs wonderfully with meat dishes, game in sauce and aged cheeses. It is best served between 14° to 16°C. The best vintages are ideally aged from 5 to 7 years to fully appreciate the wine.

The Domain: The Amiots have been making wine in the Cote de Nuits for 5 generations. They make stunning Morey-Saint-Denis Reds including Grand Cru Clos de la Roche, Premier Cru Les Millandes and Morey-Saint-Denis Village. In Gevrey-Chambertin they make an excellent Premier Cru Les Combottes. They practice low yields in the vineyard (25-35 hectoliters per hectare), lute raisonnée (eliminating, when possible, the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides), de-stemming, and a 20-day maceration of the berries. The wine is kept on its lees until the one racking just before bottling. The wines are not fined or filtered. All of this extreme care of the land and berries along with little to no disturbance of the wine in barrel leads to extremely smooth wines. The wines and family are very well regarded in Burgundy, but since they do no publicity and are uniquely focused on tending their excellent holdings and winemaking, many have not heard of them or tried their wines before.