BOURGOGNE ALIGOTÉ 2016
BOURGOGNE ALIGOTÉ 2016
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Varietal
Tasting notes
Nose: a lot of freshness rises with pure notes of green apples, hawthorn flowers and citrus.
Palate: Lively and crispy, also displaying a discreet but enjoyable suppleness. Aromas linger especially lemony notes.
Food and wine pairing
Serving suggestions
Ageing potential
Origins
Known in Burgundy since the 17th century, Aligoté is an original grape variety that is not widely grown anywhere else in the world. It covers around 1,590 hectares of vineyards throughout the region, from the Yonne in the north to the Rhône in the south, via the Côte d'Or and the Saône et Loire (Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais).
Aligoté is a very well-known grape variety in Burgundy, and for a long time it was only associated with its use in making Kir (an equally famous drink made from Burgundy aligoté and crème de cassis, our region's blackcurrant liqueur). But this variety is increasingly seen as a quality grape and treated as such (low yields, vinification in oak barrels, etc.).
Vinification and maturing
Then, the wine was aged on its lees in stainless steel tanks for about 6 months in order to get a little roundness in the wine and develop more complexity.
Vintage : 2016
Everything started from a very mild winter...maybe too mild to be honest. Actually, we should have been more wary of that sign for it was the warmest winter the region was going through since 1900. Sometimes the gap in the temperatures compared to the seasonal norms exceeded a 100%. In addition, the rain fell in excess particularly in Côte d’Or and as a consequence the lack of sun was really important. Winter really came 3 months late, in March, but didn’t settle as the bursting of the first buds appeared at the beginning of April. So, as spring really settled, it also brought its share of climatic disasters: first, it was a hail storm that hit the South of the Mâconnais region; then, the most tragic freezing night in April, 26th stroke almost all the region from the Grand Auxerrois to Côte Chalonnaise; and finally, 2 more hail storms on the 13th and 27th May lashed over Chablis, leaving the region with almost no hope of harvest.
So until summer, we went through very difficult times and had to hope for the vines to find the strength to grow again. Somehow our wish was granted, and the vegetative cycle started again, with great gaps from one plot to another. Due to all the climatic events, the flowering came late (mid-June) but didn’t last long thanks to hot temperatures. From the month of July, the extremes reversed: the temperatures as well as the amount of sunshine exceeded the seasonal norms. Fortunately for the grape, it lasted until the end of October, allowing for a good maturity. Harvest began on September, 20th and spread over a month thanks to the great weather conditions, leaving us the opportunity to harvest each plot at its best.
Finally, the grapes we harvested were of great quality and although the plots hit by hail or frost gave almost nothing, the other had good yields. During the vinifications, the vintage quickly revealed its high quality. We are expecting the wines to be well-balanced, with a good structure and a lot of freshness as well as finesse.
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