The Domaine de Fontenay of Saint-Amour of Beaujolais

Discovering the wine region of Saint-Amour

Saint-Amour is the Northernmost of the ten Beaujolais crus, located just South of the Mâcon appellations of Pouilly-Fuisse and Saint-Véran. Saint-Amour wines are among the lightest of the Beaujolais crus, often displaying Spicy berry and stone fruit characters with a marked minerality. Just under 800 acres (320 ha) are planted with the Gamay Grape variety on the south and east facing hillsides on the western banks of the Saône River, and make up the Saint-Amour appellation's wine growing area. While most of the ten Beaujolais crus were created in the 1930s, Saint-Amour was only officially delimited as a cru in February 1946.

Today, it is one of the smallest appellations in Beaujolais, larger than Chenas alone. In the northern Part of Beaujolais, the landscape is more rugged than in the south, and the clay and silt soils composed mainly of schist and granite are complemented by smaller amounts of limestone. These lightly textured soils are often credited with the minerality that characterizes the wines of Saint-Amour. The hills to the west of the Beaujolais protect the vineyards of Saint-Amour from the weather coming from the north.