Notify me
2017 Bouzeron Aligoté
A. & P. de VillainePierre de Benoist (right) with his uncle Aubert de Villaine
For Domaine de Villaine, the 2017 vintage marks twenty years of life as a village-level Bouzeron AOC instead of a regional Bourgogne Aligoté, due, in large part, to the conviction of Pierre de Benoist and his oncle, Aubert de Villaine. As climate change sets in on Burgundy, Pierre is doing his part to ensure a bright future for his beloved Bouzeron. In addition to working organically and biodynamically, he created an Aligoté nursery to preserve the most well-adapted, genetically diverse, ancient clones. A deep and spiritual thinker, Pierre tends to evoke the celestial when describing his wines, and indeed there is something otherworldly about the vibrant and crystalline 2017 vintage.
—Jane Berg
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2017 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Aligoté Doré |
Appellation: | Bouzeron |
Country: | France |
Region: | Burgundy |
Producer: | Domaine A. & P. de Villaine |
Winemaker: | Aubert de Villaine |
Vineyard: | 10 - 90 years old, 12.5 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone, Marl |
Aging: | The wine is raised for 10 to 12 months depending on the vintage |
Alcohol: | 13% |
More from this Producer or Region
2020 Rully Blanc 1er Cru “Rabourcé”
France | Burgundy
Rabourcé is considered one of the top premiers crus in Rully. Its old vines sit on a steep clay and limestone slope and yield a complex, powerful white Burgundy.
2022 Bouzeron Aligoté
France | Burgundy
Aligoté may actually be an even more precise conduit for Burgundian terroir than Chardonnay.
2021 Bourgogne Rouge
France | Burgundy
Produced exclusively in the 2021 vintage due to low yields, this Bourgogne is made from the terroirs of Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise La Fortune and La Digoine, Mercurey Les Montots and Santenay Rouge 1er Cru Passetemps.
2022 Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise Rouge “La Fortune”
France | Burgundy
This rouge is so silky and aromatic, reminiscent of strawberries and cherries. Open it over the next five years to fully enjoy its bright, fresh character.
2020 Rully Rouge 1er Cru “Les Champs Cloux”
France | Burgundy
Les Champs Cloux fresh, with good acidity, but also among the domaine’s more robust reds.
2022 Mercurey Rouge “Les Montots”
France | Burgundy
It is easy to forget that it isn’t a premier cru
2022 Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise Rouge “Les Clous”
France | Burgundy
Stylistically, Les Clous is in between La Fortune—lighter and brighter—and La Digoine—the densest and most sappy, characterized by medium weight with more red fruits, smooth but present tannins, and distinctive polish.
2020 Rully Blanc 1er Cru “Cloux”
France | Burgundy
From an east-facing premier cru parcel on steep slopes, this rich and noble white wine is long, elegant, and refreshing.
2020 Rully Blanc 1er Cru “Les Margotés”
France | Burgundy
Evoking fresh orchard fruit, white flowers, and chalk, Les Margotés is remarkably pure and will continue to age beautifully over 10-15 years.
2020 Rully Rouge 1er Cru “Les Champs Cloux”
France | Burgundy
Vigneron Pierre de Benoist thinks the Cloux vineyard is arguably the best parcel for Pinot Noir in Rully.
About The Producer
Domaine A. & P. de Villaine
About The Region
Burgundy
In eastern central France, Burgundy is nestled between the wine regions of Champagne to the north, the Jura to the east, the Loire to the west, and the Rhône to the south. This is the terroir par excellence for producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The southeast-facing hillside between Dijon in the north and Maranges in the south is known as the Côte d’Or or “golden slope.” The Côte d’Or comprises two main sections, both composed of limestone and clay soils: the Côte de Nuits in the northern sector, and the Côte de Beaune in the south. Both areas produce magnificent whites and reds, although the Côte de Beaune produces more white wine and the Côte de Nuits more red.
Chablis is Burgundy’s northern outpost, known for its flinty and age-worthy Chardonnays planted in Kimmeridgian limestone on an ancient seabed. Vézelay is a smaller area south of Chablis with similar qualities, although the limestone there is not Kimmeridgian.
To the south of the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise extends from Chagny on its northern end, down past Chalon-sur-Saône and encompasses the appellations of Bouzeron in the north, followed by Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny.
Directly south of the Chalonnaise begins the Côte Mâconnais, which extends south past Mâcon to the hamlets of Fuissé, Vinzelles, Chaintré, and Saint-Véran. The Mâconnais is prime Chardonnay country and contains an incredible diversity of soils.
More from Burgundy or France
2017 Meursault “Bois de Blagny”
Comtesse de Chérisey France | Burgundy
2020 Rully Rouge 1er Cru “Les Champs Cloux”
Domaine De Villaine France | Burgundy
2007 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru “Aux Brûlées”
Domaine Méo-Camuzet France | Burgundy
2022 Morey Saint Denis “En la Rue de Vergy”
René Bouvier France | Burgundy
2023 Mâcon-Villages “Terroir de Farges Vieilles Vignes”
Henri Perrusset France | Burgundy
2021 Marsannay Rouge “Clos du Roy”
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy
2022 Petit Chablis
Domaine Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy
2022 Rully Blanc “Les Saint-Jacques”
Domaine de Villaine France | Burgundy
2020 Pommard 1er Cru “Les Fremiers”
Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils France | Burgundy
2022 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “La Truffière”
Bruno Colin France | Burgundy
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin
Domaine Taupenot-Merme France | Burgundy
2021 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune
Bruno Colin France | Burgundy
2017 Meursault “Bois de Blagny”
Comtesse de Chérisey France | Burgundy
2020 Rully Rouge 1er Cru “Les Champs Cloux”
Domaine De Villaine France | Burgundy
2007 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru “Aux Brûlées”
Domaine Méo-Camuzet France | Burgundy
2022 Morey Saint Denis “En la Rue de Vergy”
René Bouvier France | Burgundy
2023 Mâcon-Villages “Terroir de Farges Vieilles Vignes”
Henri Perrusset France | Burgundy
2021 Marsannay Rouge “Clos du Roy”
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy
2022 Petit Chablis
Domaine Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy
2022 Rully Blanc “Les Saint-Jacques”
Domaine de Villaine France | Burgundy
2020 Pommard 1er Cru “Les Fremiers”
Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils France | Burgundy
2022 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “La Truffière”
Bruno Colin France | Burgundy
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin
Domaine Taupenot-Merme France | Burgundy
2021 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune
Bruno Colin France | Burgundy
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171