Summer Refreshment with Pedigree:
2013 A. et P. de Villaine Aligoté Bouzeron
In most of Burgundy, Aligoté assumes a lowly status. However, in Bouzeron, Aligoté gets star billing.
It's impossible not to think that Bouzeron is a special place for the grape. Still, it's even harder not to acknowledge that Aubert de Villaine played a huge role in legitimizing Bouzeron.
Aubert de Villaine's name may ring a bell - he's co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, an estate that needs no introduction.
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It's probably unnecessary to say this, but A et P de Villaine's Bouzeron is one of the most beloved and sought-after Aligoté's on the market. We were really excited to find this parcel. It's just so rare to find it in decent quantity.
In the 1970s Aubert de Villaine and his wife, Pamela, sought out vineyards in a more obscure corner of Burgundy. They settled around Bouzeron and started turning out some of the most compelling examples of Aligoté on the planet. Since the 2000 vintage. de Villaine's nephew Pierre de Benoist has been at the helm.
Not to mince words, we have a complicated relationship with Aligoté. Amidst a sea of innocuous, tartly lemon-y Aligotés, there are a handful of bottles that we really love - we're thinking of Coche, De Moor, Bachelet, d'Auvenay and of course, de Villaine.
We always find ourselves craving de Villaine's Aligoté Bouzeron in the summer. The wine's razor sharp mineral cut and subtle complexity makes de Villaine one of our ideal wines for the summer months. Few wines combine refreshment and intrigue like this does.
De Villaine is an advocate of Aligoté Doré as opposed to the more common Aligoté Vert. They feel that Doré has lower yields and produces wine with more aromatic complexity. There's no doubt that their Aligoté delivers an unheard of spectrum of scents - bright floral notes, crushed rocks and complex layers of citrus peel. All of this is delivered with a piercing fine-ness and detail.
This is our first de Villaine offer. For years and years, we've been searching for de Villaine's Bouzeron in quantity and this is the first time that we got lucky. It's difficult to know when it will happen again. I'd jump on this.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits