The OTHER White Burgundy

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2009 A&P de Villaine

Bouzeron 

25.99
Only two cases available

Let us introduce you to a wine with a long back story. In fact, there are so many juicy selling points here, we don't really know where to start. So, let's start with the name. Bouzeron is a village in Burgundy, but this wine is not made of Chardonnay like almost all other white Burgundy. It's made of a little known, rarely loved grape called Aligoté. Aligoté will probably always be confined to Chardonnay's dark shadow. Wines made of Aligoté are typically green, racy, and kind of shrill. It's the original white wine base of a Kir - high in acid, but kind of forgettable on its own.

But then there's this wine. Bouzeron is the only all Aligoté appellation in France, and only seven or so vingerons produce it. A&P de Villaine is the classic. Aubert de Villaine is most famous for being the manager of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, the Burgundy domaine that produces some of the most revered and expensive wines in the world. Aubert may work in Vosne-Romanée, but he lives in the little village of Bouzeron, surrounded by his Aligoté vines. Aubert's dedicated nephew Pierre de Benoist is making the wine today using organic and biodynamic practices.

This wine is not at all like the stereotypical Aligoté. Though it is fresher and zippier than a typical white Burgundy, it maintains an elegant creaminess. There are hints of pear, juicy melon, and invigorating flashes of limestone. The wine is agile and lovable, with a purity that you'll just have to taste for yourself. Drink cool - but not cold - as an aperitif, with oysters, for lunch, or simply on the back porch.