Saint-Amour

🇫🇷 France

AOC Rare find

Cru 1946 - The romantic northernmost Cru, 320 hectares where Valentine's Day empties the cellars

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Region profile

History

Named for Saint Amateur, a Roman legionnaire in the Theban Legion who deserted Emperor Maximian's army around 286 AD rather than massacre Christians, converted, and founded a mission here. "Amateur" derives from Latin "amator" (lover). The Abbey of Cluny controlled these vineyards from 909 AD for 900 years. Wines from here were served at the 1566 wedding feast of Margaret of Valois to future King Henri IV.

Climate
Northernmost Cru straddling Beaujolais-Mâconnais border; complex terroir of granite, schist, clay, and limestone creates two distinct styles; cooler microclimate from elevation
Signature wines
Domaine des Duc Saint-Amour "Les Bonnets" - fifth-generation family estate, their Bonnets lieu-dit produces powerful, spicy wines that age 7+ years, proving Saint-Amour can rival Moulin-à-Vent
What sets it apart
The only wine appellation in the world named for love; in 1970s commanded Burgundy Premier Cru prices before Valentine's marketing turned it into a seasonal phenomenon

Facts

  • 320 hectares with 50 growers
  • in the 1970s, Saint-Amour commanded prices matching Chambolle-Musigny First Growth Burgundies
  • 20-25% of annual production ships in the two weeks before Valentine's Day
  • second smallest Cru after Chénas
  • AOC established February 1946 (last of original 9 Crus)

Region profile from the Wine Memories wine-data corpus · verified January 2026