2015 AMI Volnay
WINEMAKER: Paul Marchand-Perarnau & Willy Roulendes
REGION: Burgundy, FR
VARIETAL: Pinot Noir
VITICULTURE: Organic
Grapes from an organic vineyard on the ‘climat des Famines.' Clay/limestone soils. 15 days vinification in stainless steel vats, whole cluster, without sulfites. Vertical press - élevage in old barrels for 1 year. 820 bottles produced. "This wine is made to age, but fine to drink now - however you wish! Big nose, in your face. More fruit on the nose here, ripe blackberries with earthy undertones and some hidden minerality. Rich but clean. The fruit is dark, but fresh. Hidden baking spice. Let me give this some air (decant is key!) Such a vibrant colour. Stony minerality lingers and twists. Tastes so good after some air, quite rich and ripe but restrained. Very nice line and drive, this wine is serious and confident. Later on you get an almost iron-rich minerality on both nose and palate. The last sip tastes so good, still rich but restrained - The most serious of their wines, but also one of the most interesting."
AMI is a project between two good friends, Paul Marchand-Perarnau and Willy Roulendes. Paul was previously a sommelier, is an excellent blind taster, has experience in farming and winemaking, and spent some time selling wine for Dynamic Vines in London. Willy on the other hand, has 20 years experience in winemaking. Together they have created a domaine/négoce operation in the Maranges valley, in the south of the Côte de Beaune. Willy had spent time working at Domaine de Montille in Puligny-Montrachet and Paul at La Maison Romane in Vosne-Romanée. The pair met and worked at Clos du Moulin aux Moines in Auxey Durresses (where Willy is still the head winemaker), before Paul moved to Provence to work at Domaine Hauvette. But after being apart, they came to the realisation that they wanted to work together again, and to make wines of their own accord. And so, AMI was born, with their first vintage realised in 2014.
The pair own roughly 2.5ha of vines, and also purchase around 2.5ha worth of organic grapes from friends in various villages throughout the Côte-d'Or, Beaujolais and Chablis. In the cellar, they vinify using indigenous yeasts, and without temperature control. No temperature control requires a high level of attention to detail. Without temperature control, there is no set formula, and so each year it is different, and decisions need to be made in line with the present moment.