Aligoté - A great wine in its own right

Aligoté* is an oft-overlooked varietal that is undergoing something of a renaissance thanks to a handful of passionate growers and winemakers known as “les Aligoteurs”. Grégory Patriat, winemaker at the Maison Jean-Claude Boisset, has been one of the most ardent defenders of this grape since 2007, when he produced his first Aligoté terroir wine.

At Jean-Claude Boisset, the lesser wines are treated with the same care as the greats. After pressing in whole bunches, they enjoy long ageing of between 16 and 18 months, spanning two winters in the cellar, just like a Meursault. They are then refined in in 450-liter demi-muids, one-third of which are new oak. No stirring or racking off is carried out during this period, to conserve their fresh vivacity. Today, this results in a range of three distinct Aligoté wines.

 
Organic Bourgogne Aligoté. Lively and joyous

Thirty-year-old vines located on the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, above the village of Vosne-Romanée, on mainly limestone soil.

Bourgogne Aligoté Les Moutots. Bring out the best in fish and seafood.

These 50-year-old vines, near the Château of Chorey-Lès-Beaune, are planted on marl-limestone alluvium.

Bourgogne Aligoté La Corvée Aux Moines. A gastronomic Aligoté

A plot of 50-year-old vines, located in the lower reaches of Puligny-Montrachet, on a very clay soil.

* This quintessentially Burgundian varietal accounts for 6% of the area under vine (source BIVB).