Community Tasting Note

forceberry wrote:

Thursday, July 22, 2021 - A single-vineyard Aligoté from lieu-dit Les Jardins de la Côte, which is planted to 70-yo vines within the Saint-Aubin appellation. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, aged in 350-liter oak barrels. 12,5% alcohol.

Youthful and very slightly hazy pale green color. Surprisingly Sauvignon Blanc-like nose with sharp aromas of grass, currant leaves and green currants, some cat's pee character, a little bit of sweaty gym locker room, light creamy notes of oak, a candied hint of gummi bears and a touch of passion fruit. The wine is crisp, lively and medium-bodied on the palate with bright, vivid flavors of tart green apples and passion fruit, some sweeter notes of gummi bear candies, light pink grapefruit tones, a little bit of tangy salinity, a hint of tart lemony citrus fruit and a touch of steely minerality. The pungent, slightly herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc aromas don't seem to appear on the palate, so the wine basically has a textbook Aligoté taste. The bright, racy acidity lends great freshness and intensity to the wine. The finish is long, crisp and slightly steely with precise flavors of tart lemon and apple peel bitterness, some tangy salinity, a little bit of grassy greenness, light passion fruit tones, a candied hint of gummi bears or other soft fruit candies and a touch of cat pee.

A very odd and atypical Aligoté. When the wine was poured, everybody was surprised by the nose and some were wondering whether this was a Sauvignon Blanc from Saint-Bris - especially the grassy notes and hints of cat's pee with the sweeter nuances of passion fruit made the wine smell almost like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc! However, the taste was completely different and on the palate the wine was pretty much everything you could ask for a young Aligoté. Even the warm 2018 vintage wasn't evident at all, the wine being so crisp, spry and zippy. Even though the nose didn't promise much, the wine managed to deliver on the palate, big time. I hope some further aging might make the nose come better together and bring some additional tertiary complexity to the palate. Although pretty lovely right now, I can imagine this wine will continue to improve for another 10 years or so. Priced according to its quality at 23€.

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