Château De Fleurie (héritiers Loron)
Domaine des Billards (Héritiers Loron)
Saint-Amour Gamay 2013
100% Gamay.
Iron-tinted garnet. Clear and transparent.
The nose is royal. Complex commingling of floral note, red fruit, and minerality. Violet, rose petal, red cherry, wild strawberry, cranberry, tar, and iron. On the bouquet alone, this could very well be misunderstood for a Nebbiolo-based wine.
Structurally, the wine is built for long haul IMO. Grippy tannin, med plus acid, med low body (12.5 abv). 4 years old but this Beaujo tasted so young (who said it cannot age!). Still a lot of red fruit characters backed by mineral/stony frame. The same profile follows through from the aromas to the palate.
Pulled the plug on this bottle on a whim. No regret. Now I know I have to keep my hands off the rest of my bottles for another decade. Lovely juice! 91+ — 7 years ago
Domaine des Billards (Héritiers Loron)
Reserve Caveau Clos des Billards Saint-Amour Gamay 2009
Peppercorn, loamy earth and limestone meet plum on the nose. More black cherry than red, with a strong mid palate that transitions effortlessly to an elevated, almost floral (purple flowers) finish. Tannins are well integrated at this point. Enjoyed following 3 hr decant. — 10 years ago
Peter Sultan
American geography ignoramus that I am, little did I know that the Northernmost tip of the Rhone- Cote Rotie- is the kissing cousin of Beaujolais. St. Amour is more midpoint, but has that great granite terroir which makes this long standing Cru Bojo (& under 20$) a perennial fave. It’s that mineral tautness I love. — 4 years ago