▴ Domaine de Villaine Bouzeron Aligoté 2017
Bouzeron Bourgogne Aligoté, Domaine de Villaine 2017
When people think of white Burgundy, they think of Chardonnay, and few remember or even know Aligoté, to my mind a Cinderella grape. In good years, and in the right hands and on the right terroir, it can produce delicious, notable wines. There can be no question that there are no better hands than Aubert de Villaine, who is co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée Conti. Domaine de Villaine is his and his wife Pamela’s private holding, and the estate is managed by his nephew, Pierre de Benoist. Only Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise has its own appellation for Aligoté, in which the maximum yield is only 45hl/ha as opposed to the 60hl/ha allowed for Bourgogne Aligoté (though the Domaine’s yields are on average 20% lower than the 45hl/ha limit). The Bouzeron Bourgogne Aligoté, Domaine de Villaine, is made from nine hectares of Aligote Doré vines, which Pierre de Benoist describes as having “ancestry in aromatic vines.” Aubert and Pamela made a name for the Aligoté grape, thereby gaining appellation contrôlée recognition for Bouzeron, in 1979. The vines are grown exclusively on the limestone-rich slopes, and no pesticides or herbicides are used. The result is an elegant wine, beautifully structured, with stone and orchard fruit, and a delicious saline finish.
Price £24.65 Corney and Barrow.
Dec 2020, SK