Saint Amour

Two St Amour offerings from Nick Dobson that both come in at around £12.

First up is Domaine des Champs Grilles:



A visually stunning bottle that I'm happy to report had the substance to match the style. Plently of pleasing sappy gammay fruit burst and a elegant finish. Overall, a very harmonious wine. Well worth the 12 quid. Can it be differentiated in style from The Brouillys such as Chatuea Thivin? It seems to have less weight, less dry finish and more subtle fruit. I reminds me of the first St. Amour we ever tried - a Debouf offering which famously ended up costing 70p a bottle thanks to a balls-up at the till in Sainsburys - vegetal and violet-ish and very elegant.

Still, given the next example, I'm not sure how typical either are of the cru.


The Dominae Matray couldn't be more different. Much heavier attack with notes of plum/damson. To me it felt much more like a straight pinot noir. I would not have guessed it was a Gammy. Much minerality but it seemed less interesting than the Champs Grilles. It does tell me that pure Gammay can taste very different in different hands.

Interesting to note that Saint Amour is a stones throw from St. Veran where we have had such success with well priced white burgundy. I read that the granite gives way to limestone accross this boundary. I wonder if there is any cross over between Chardonnay and Gammy producers?