Based in the historic Burgundian village of Chambolle-Musigny, Domaine Amiot-Servelle is a small, highly sought-after artisan estate in the Cotes de Nuits, first established in 1920. Composed of eight hectares in total, the Domaine took on its current name for owners Christian Amiot (son of renowned Morey St. Denis producer Pierre Amiot), and his wife Elisabeth Servelle in 1990, farming seven out of the eight hectares in Chambolle-Musigny and the remaining hectare split between village appellation Morey-Saint-Denis and the two grand crus Charmes-Chambertin and Clos Saint-Denis. Sourced from an excellent vintage with ideal harvesting conditions, these outstanding 2018 red Burgundies are produced in Amiot-Servelle's elegant house style boasting great precision, balanced extraction and restrained use of oak, offering lovers of red Burgundy and fans of elegantly crafted Pinot Noir incredible value at each price point.
Assuming the role of winemaker in 2011, Christian's daughter Prune has continued to raise the bar at Amiot-Servelle, garnering higher ratings year over year and critical praise from Burghound's Allen Meadows and Neal Martin of Vinous. Employing organic viticulture since the early 2000s, the Domaine's vines are planted in limestone soils enhancing minerality, with the unique terroir of each premier cru contributing nuanced flavors. Balancing the density of the old vine fruit with tension and acidity, Prune has made subtle changes in the winemaking over the last decade such as varying the amount of whole bunches used in vinification and employing more gentle extraction, enhancing aromatics and adding tannic structure. While the use of new oak at Domaine Amiot-Servelle varies from 10-50% with the premier and grand crus receiving the most, all the wines are aged in barrel for 18 months, yielding ripe, elegant wines that will evolve over time.
Demonstrating immense purity of fruit with an energetic expression of terroir, the 2018 Domaine Amiot-Servelle Burgundies are skillfully crafted and specially selected for over delivering value. From the entry level 2018 Morey St Denis to the extravagant 2018 Amiot-Servelle Clos St Denis Grand Cru and a range of stand-out premier cru Chambolle-Musigny in between, Burgundy fans will appreciate these undervalued small production wines for their finesse and longevity, now attractively priced well below comparable quality domaines.
The 2018 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru includes 25% whole bunch fruit. The bouquet shows much more complexity compared with the Charmes-Chambertin: crushed limestone sprinkled over the blackberry and blueberry fruit, beautifully defined and focused. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, assiduously judged acidity and a mineral-driven finish that seems to lacquer the mouth after it has departed. This is a superb Clos Saint-Denis from Amiot-Servelle that should age with panache.
94-96 points, Neal Martin, Vinous (Jan 2020)
Top Quality Store
