"Yes, I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." Oscar Wilde.
Time is always best spent with people who make you laugh and feel loved. So, if you can find a friend that also helps winemaking dreams come true, then all the better for it. This brings us nicely to AMI. A wine adventure between two good friends, Paul Perarnau and Willy Roulendes, based in the Maranges valley, in the Southern part of the Côte de Beaune.
Both originally from the South of France, Paul gained prior experience working as a sommelier and for a wine importer, acting as the link between city and countryside, while winemaker Willy has always been hands on in the cellar. The pair worked together in the same domain for 2 years, before individual opportunities took them elsewhere, with Paul moving to Provence to work at Domaine Hauvette, while Willy remained in Burgundy, building valuable expertise of the Côte de Beaune terroir at Clos du Moulin aux Moines. Thankfully, although a few years passed, the lure of creating meaningful wine, running riot and the desire to keep friendship alive, brought them back together to begin AMI. This is when the fun began!
Following the first vintage of 2014, the Domaine now consists of 5 ha of vines in the Maranges valley, with an additional 4 ha worth of organic grapes purchased from fellow AMIs (friends) in various villages throughout the Côte-d'Or. In the cellar, their wines are vinified naturally, without any additional inputs. That means indigenous yeasts, without temperature control and there is never fining or filtration. The wines are aged in old barrels (never new oak) to showcase the fruit. The reds macerate for around 10-15 days - many left untouched to create a fruiter style. There is no bâtonnage for the whites but they do like the texture and acid created by keeping the juice on its lees.
There is much to love about the energy, philosophy and process to this project. AMI has proper personality and soul, which can often be lacking in Burgundy when 99% of vineyards are handed down by generations. As a snapshot, their vibe is personified by the nostalgic, quirky bottle labels. As for the wines, well, there is plenty of character, and they are so much more than the sum of the parts. These push boundaries through vinification and the vineyard location. They are fun, pure tasting wines that are meant for enjoyment and to be shared with good friends. Notable highlights being the playful Aligoté and Bourgogne Blanc offerings, which both punch well above their weight.
Continue to chase those dreams boys, always look up, and keep your heads above the clouds.
