2012 Bourgogne Aligoté, Plantation 1902, Domaine Alice & Olivier de Moor

Dme Alice et Olivier De Moor

Alice and Olivier de Moor are qualified oenologists relatively new to the world of wine, having planted their first vines on their 6-hectare estate in 1988.

They prune the vines hard to produce yields some 20% less than the permitted maximum and hand-harvest the entire crop. The wines are fermented in 10 year-old casks, using wild yeast, followed by a further 10 months elevage on the fine lees. They are bottled in the 15th month without cold stabilisation of filtration, but undergo a slight fining.

The Chablis Bel-Air et Clardys is a blend of 2 lieux-dits planted with 12 year-old vines, with 25 centimetres of humus and limestone sub-soil. The Moors' top Chablis cuvée, La Rosette, is from a lieu-dit alongside 1er Les Beauregards, and enjoys classic Kimmeridgean limestone soil and very low yields.

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.