2020 Bourgogne Aligoté, Anne Boisson
Critics reviews
A cuvée that appears under the Pierre and Anne Boisson labels, the 2020 Bourgogne Aligoté exhibits aromas of green apple and bread dough, followed by a medium-bodied, blithe and fleshy palate, concluding with a saline finish.
As ever, the inimitable Bernard Boisson presided over my annual tasting in his usual, refreshingly old-school manner, offering splashes from a variety of bottles, some open for several days and some opened for my benefit. As readers will remember, Bernard's holdings have been entirely divided between his son Pierre and daughter Anne. On this visit, Boisson père reiterated that in fact Pierre and Anne operate separately though cooperatively (Pierre taking care of all the tractor work in the vineyards) and vinify in their own way—though the two labels' styles are undeniably more similar than different.
As I've written before, in his day, Bernard Boisson was one of the village's latest harvesters, and his wines only spent a year on the lees, with much of the production sold to the négociants. With Pierre's arrival at the domaine some 15 years ago, that changed dramatically: The domaine has returned, as Bernard puts it, to do things as they were done in his grandfather's era. That means earlier harvesting, little débourbage, long sur lie élevage ranging from 19 to 22 months and restrained use of new oak—up to 30%, largely from Saint-Romain's Tonnellerie Gillet, recognizable for the toasty, nutty patina that it imparts.
The entire production is now bottled without filtration under natural cork. Increasingly, the communal and regional appellations are bottled with lieu-dit names, under either the Anne or the Pierre Boisson label.
Drink 2023 - 2030
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (January 2023)
About this WINE
Domaine Boisson-Vadot
Domaine Boisson-Vadot, run by father and son team of Bernard and Pierre Boisson, is one of the rising stars in Mersault. The philosophy of the Domaine revolves around careful, hands-on vineyard management to coax the greatest potential of each vintage out of the various plots, and low-impact winemaking in the cellars that allows the unique terroir of each vineyard to surface. New oak is very minimal, no more than 30% for the top cuvées, and much more restraint in the village wines and in Bourgogne Blanc.
Pierre Boisson produces a village Meursault from his grandmother’s vineyards (50 year old vines in the lieu-dits of Criots and Perchots) that is hailed an model wine for the appellation. The Domaine also crafts other bottlings, from three of the best lieux à dits in Meursault: Sous la Velle , Grands Charrons (planted in 1988) and Chevalières (planted in 1982). The Grands Charrons is the most expressive, intensely flavoured of the three. The Sous la Velle is a more elegant version of the Grand Charrons. The Chevalières is the most mineral-driven, with a more restraint fruit flavours in its youth but great ageing potential- More like premier crus than village wines. Finally, Boisson-Vadot makes a powerful yet charming Meursault Genevrières premier cru.
Bourgogne Aligoté
Bourgogne Aligoté is a regional Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) for white wines produced in Burgundy from the Aligoté variety of grape, which dates from 1937.
Aligoté grapes have played a prominent role in white Burgundy production since the 1600s, but are now being phased out in favour of the more popular and profitable Chardonnay grape: in 2007 only 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres) of Aligoté were grown compared to the 12,800 hectares (32,000 acres) of Chardonnay. The AOC regulations permit up to 15% Chardonnay to be blended with the Aligoté.
Bourgogne Aligoté is usually regarded as a somewhat more acidic wine, best enjoyed in its youth due to its lighter nature. It is also a primary component in the production of the popular French cocktail kir, by combining the Aligoté wine with the blackcurrant liqueur crème de cassis.
Aligoté has one appellation exclusive to its grape: Bouzeron, in the Côte Chalonnaise region of Burgundy, where 53 hectares are dedicated to this unique Aligoté based wine.
Aligoté
A grape that was first recorded in Burgundy in the 18th century and is still planted almost exclusively there, though there are limited plantings in Bulgaria, Moldavia and even California. It is a moderate-yielding grape that tends to perform best on south-east facing slopes and in warm, dry years.
For your Burgundian vigneron, Aligoté is not nearly as profitable to grow as Chardonnay - consequently it tends to be relegated to lower quality vineyards. In the wrong hands and in the wrong sites it can produce thin, raspingly acidic wines that are remarkably undistinguished. However the best growers produce balanced examples with nutty and citrus hints which are most appealing to drink. The best Aligoté wines traditionally come from Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise. Along with blackcurrant liqueur, it is the key ingredient of Kir.
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Description
A cuvée that appears under the Pierre and Anne Boisson labels, the 2020 Bourgogne Aligoté exhibits aromas of green apple and bread dough, followed by a medium-bodied, blithe and fleshy palate, concluding with a saline finish.
As ever, the inimitable Bernard Boisson presided over my annual tasting in his usual, refreshingly old-school manner, offering splashes from a variety of bottles, some open for several days and some opened for my benefit. As readers will remember, Bernard's holdings have been entirely divided between his son Pierre and daughter Anne. On this visit, Boisson père reiterated that in fact Pierre and Anne operate separately though cooperatively (Pierre taking care of all the tractor work in the vineyards) and vinify in their own way—though the two labels' styles are undeniably more similar than different.
As I've written before, in his day, Bernard Boisson was one of the village's latest harvesters, and his wines only spent a year on the lees, with much of the production sold to the négociants. With Pierre's arrival at the domaine some 15 years ago, that changed dramatically: The domaine has returned, as Bernard puts it, to do things as they were done in his grandfather's era. That means earlier harvesting, little débourbage, long sur lie élevage ranging from 19 to 22 months and restrained use of new oak—up to 30%, largely from Saint-Romain's Tonnellerie Gillet, recognizable for the toasty, nutty patina that it imparts.
The entire production is now bottled without filtration under natural cork. Increasingly, the communal and regional appellations are bottled with lieu-dit names, under either the Anne or the Pierre Boisson label.
Drink 2023 - 2030
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (January 2023)
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