Like other Old World winemaking cultures, Burgundians mix a healthy dose of superstition and wisdom in with their more modern winemaking practice. One oft-heard saying is that the best vintages end in “9” — and while there’s little statistical basis behind this, the last century has produced a nearly unbroken series of “années neuves.”
Whatever the cause, the 2019 vintage is not one to break the streak, and indeed may be among the best in recent memory. William Kelley calls it “thrilling… simultaneously serious and immensely charming.” Neal Martin writes, “It is remarkable, almost irrational, how the finest 2019s maintain detail, clarity and tension and sapid finishes.”
Everything we’ve tasted from 2019 has been in line with these conclusions, and none more so than Jean-Louis and Léon Amiot’s outstanding crop of 2019s from Morey-St-Denis.
Today we’re suggesting Amiot’s 2019 “Aux Charmes,” a premier cru Morey-St-Denis just a few yards from the great Grand Cru “Charmes-Chambertin.” “Charmes” is always the first of Amiot’s cuvées to drink well, but in 2019 it comes with a more serious, concentrated presentation. We think this will drink well as a young wine this fall, but will have plenty left in the tank a decade down the road.
Today ripe fruit aromas dominate the nose, with dark black currants and cinnamon spice. The mouth is dark, sappy, and woodsy, with toasted red cherries on a long, densely packed finish. As with most 2019s, it’s the texture that’s most attractive — intense and ripe, rippling with tension laid over lean, delicate armature.
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Amiot Morey-St-Denis 1er “Charmes” 2019
bottle price: $78