2018 Saint-Nicolas de Bourgeuil Les Malgagnes

Bourgueil Les Malgagnes is from a clay-based site that used to get very heavy when it rained, so it was mal à gagner (“hard to win”) for the horses working it. The 2018 is soft and round, what the Amiraults call the cuvée de la maison , offering breadth and body but retaining freshness. Red fruit – all strawberries and cherries – and a note of tea leaf and spice feature on the lingering finish. Matured in Hungarian sandstone jarres as well as tank and barrels; the result is harmonious, the combination of clay over chalky subsoil providing power and finely textured tannins.