Medium straw yellow with clear, vibrant transparency.
Nose
Cereal grains, calamansi and whitecurrant meet pear, fresh garden herbs, cool stone and petrichor.
Palate
Energetic and taut with a distinctly phenolic texture, a hint of extract sweetness and caramel, carried by fresh citrus and zesty notes through the long finish.
Character
A precise, saline, tightly wound Aligoté that has nothing in common with the thin, acidic caricature of the variety – with a little more bottle age it will reveal its full potential.
Pairing
Fresh oysters or shellfish, goat’s cheese such as Sainte-Maure de Touraine, trout in beurre blanc.
Notes
The steep, north-east-facing vineyard site “Sous-Châtelet” at the foot of the Montagne du Châtelet rests on calcareous Oxfordian marl; the vines were planted in 1937 and lie directly next to parcels belonging to the legendary Domaine d'Auvenay. Pressed directly and gently, this yields a wine from rarely old, genetically rich vine material.
Tasting note
Colour & appearance
Medium straw yellow, clear and lively in the glass.
Nose
An aromatic profile of rare precision for the variety: cereal and zesty notes of calamansi, alongside whitecurrant and pear. Beneath lies a cool, mineral layer of stone and petrichor — the scent of rain on dry limestone — rounded off by fresh garden herbs.
Palate
Dense and energetic, with a distinctly phenolic texture that lends the wine grip and contour. A fine sweetness of extract with a hint of caramel gives way to citric, piquantly zesty notes. The taut acidity carries everything — this Aligoté would benefit from a little more bottle age.
Finish
Salty, taut and long, with lingering citrus zest and a chalky aftertaste.
Terroir & origin
The Sous-Châtelet vineyard site lies in Auxey-Duresses, below the Montagne du Châtelet — facing north-east, steep, on calcareous Oxfordian marl. Here grow vines dating back to the 1930s, whose roots reach almost nine decades deep into the limestone. The fact that Lalou Bize-Leroy tends the neighbouring plots for her Domaine d’Auvenay says everything about the potential of this terroir.
Grape variety & vinification
Pure Aligoté from direct, gentle pressing — the purest of the three interpretations with which the Trapet brothers explore the same plot. Pierre and Louis, sons of Jean-Louis Trapet from Gevrey-Chambertin, spent years restoring the once-neglected family plots to form; their first vintage was 2020.
Food recommendations
The salty tension and citrus freshness make it ideal for oysters and shellfish, for river fish in herb butter, goat’s cheese from Burgundy or simply gougères as an aperitif. It is also an exciting choice with dishes featuring artichokes or asparagus.
Special features
In Burgundy, Aligoté is often regarded as a supporting act — not here. From ancient genetic material and noble surroundings comes a wine of almost dramatic energy, bearing no resemblance to the thin, acidic caricature of the variety: salty, grippy with tannins, permeated with chalk. Proof that the Trapet family is not resting on its heritage.
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