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A. et P. de Villaine
A wine for €30 backed by the co-owner of the world's most expensive wines? Aubert de Villaine, co-director of the legendary Domaine de la Romanée-Conti since 1974, purchased a neglected estate in the village of Bouzeron in 1973 together with his American wife Pamela. What began as a private project became the birthplace of an appellation: thanks to his commitment, Bouzeron received the Village AOC for Aligoté in 1998 as the only village in Burgundy to do so.
Today, nephew Pierre de Benoist manages the winery with 30 hectares in the Côte Chalonnaise. Organic since 1986, biodynamic since 2000 – and with vines some of which are 115 years old.
More about A. et P. de Villaine
The golden grapes of Bouzeron
Aligoté is regarded by many as Burgundy's second choice behind Chardonnay. In Bouzeron, a different variety grows: the Aligoté Doré, recognisable by the golden colouring of the ripe berries. Thinner skins, smaller bunches, more aroma. The de Villaines planted this rare variant on the chalky hillside sites and proved that Aligoté can produce wines of serious complexity – an insight that winemakers like Boris Champy share today with his Aligoté Doré Sélection Massale. The Bouzeron blanc displays typical notes of lemon zest, flint and herbs – along with a saline minerality that recalls the finest Chablis.
From judge of the Judgment of Paris to UNESCO campaigner
Aubert de Villaine sat on the jury of that famous blind tasting in Paris in 1976, where Californian wines defeated the French elite. He interviewed Robert Mondavi before he became famous. He led the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti to world rank – and fought for years to have the Burgundian Klimats declared UNESCO World Heritage in 2015. His own estate in Bouzeron remained deliberately in the shadow of the great name. Intentionally. "I see myself as a custodian, not a creator," he says.
Pierre de Benoist: The heir from Sancerre
In 1998, Aubert called his nephew. Pierre de Benoist, son of a winemaker in Sancerre, had actually studied law and had no interest in wine. But he came – and stayed. Since 2000 he has run the estate, expanded the vineyard area from 8 to 30 hectares and extended the appellation by eleven vineyard sites. He vinifies 17 different Aligoté parcels separately in large oak foudres to preserve the nuances of the terroir.
Rully and Mercurey: More than Aligoté
Alongside the famous Bouzeron, Premier Cru wines from Rully and Mercurey are produced at the estate. The Rully 1er Cru "Rabourcé" brings Chardonnay from limestone soils, with crisp acidity and floral notes. The red Pinot Noirs from vineyard sites such as "Les Cloux" display silky tannins and that precision one expects from an estate that shares the same philosophy as the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: minimal oak influence, maximum terroir expression.