Bourgogne Aligoté AOC 2021

Wine description for Bourgogne Aligoté AOC 2021 by Jean-Marc & Thomas Bouley

Colour & appearance

Pale straw yellow with silvery reflections, clear and of youthful transparency.

Nose

An interplay of aromas featuring Granny Smith and limequat, accompanied by fine grassy notes and fresh herbs. Crushed limestone lends the nose a cool, mineral dimension that reflects the lean 2021 vintage.

Palate

Steely acidity meets a surprisingly creamy texture – a tension that elevates this Aligoté far beyond the ordinary. Fine minerality, subtle extract and genuine substance lend it depth without sacrificing freshness.

Finish

Piquant and long, with echoes of lime zest, fennel fronds and a hint of fennel seed – a finale that remains precise and cries out for minerality.

Terroir & origin

The vines stand on a 0.25-hectare plot in Meursault, at the foot of the hillside. Deep, clay-rich soils over a limestone base shape its structure. Thomas Bouley, who took over the domaine in Volnay in 2002 at just twenty years of age, farms organically without certification and incorporates cosmic rhythms into pruning and bottling – without dogma, yet with conviction.

Grape variety & vinification

Aligoté from 14-year-old vines. Fermentation took place in tank, followed by eight to ten months’ maturation in barrique – wood used as a tool rather than a flavouring, in keeping with Bouley’s philosophy. Twelve per cent alcohol, dry, and of silky clarity.

Food recommendations

Piri piri chicken – the heat finds its match in the wine’s acidity. Ribbon pasta with lemon, almonds and asparagus mirrors the herbal and citrus notes. Crispy boiled beef with duck parfait and orange is supported by the wine’s minerality and extract.

Special characteristics

It is rare for a Bourgogne Aligoté to achieve such complexity. The combination of cool freshness and creamy richness, of citrus fruit and fennel spice, makes it an ideal introduction to the world of the Bouleys – and proof that Burgundy’s ‘lesser’ grape variety can achieve greatness in the right hands.