Saint Romain Blanc 2020 – AMI

AMI is a project that was started by the two friends Paul Perarnau and Willy Roulendes. They initially became friends while working together at Clos du Moulin aux Moines in Auxey-Durresses in Côte-d’Or, but after a couple of years their paths split when Paul decided to move to Provence to work at Domaine Hauvette, while Willy wanted to stay Clos du Moulin aux Moines, where he is today the head winemaker. However, they soon found out that something important was missing in their lives and therefore they decided to join ventures in order to be able to work together again and to keep their friendship alive. And thus AMI was born and their first vintage was released in 2014.

The two friends own about 2,5 hectares of vineyards in the Maranges Valley in the southern end of Côte de Beaune and purchase about the same amount of grapes as they produce themselves from friends from Chablis, Côte-d’Or and Beaujolais. All of their vineyards are either organic or in the process of being certified just as well as all of the négoce grapes are organically or biodynamically certified. The wines from AMI are 100% natural with no filtration and either no or very little added sulfites.

Willy is the AMI vigneron, with a long experience in winemaking and in-depth knowledge of the Côtes de Beaune terroir. Paul, on the other hand, is trained as a sommelier in Paris and London, and an extraordinary blind taster. Being a city dweller, he continues to live part time in Paris with his wife and kids, and part time in Bourgogne, where he fullfils himself as a natural winemaker. 

For every vintage the two passionate and talented friends release, they keep pushing the boundaries of what’s understood as authentic Bourgogne in a more natural direction.