Marchand-Tawse Bourgogne Aligoté 2022

Marchand-Tawse's Aligoté from Burgundy is a concentrated, medium-bodied white wine offering aromas of white blossoms, green apple and citrus fruits, accompanied by a hint of minerality that reflects its terroir. The palate is lively and zesty, showcasing flavors of lemon, lime, pear, white peach, tangerine zest and toasted almond, with a silken texture and brilliant character that will continue to integrate over the next year. A vibrant acidity balances the fruitiness, and the barrel aging imparts a textured, slightly creamy finish with charred oak and dried oregano notes.

This wine is lauded for taking the often-underrated Aligoté grape seriously, offering, in many cases, a deeper, more complex, richer, yet still fresh, expression. Overall, the Marchand-Tawse Bourgogne Aligoté is well-regarded for its balance and approachability.

The grapes are a blend from two plots, Les Costières Rond de Pré and Champ Pernot, with 50-year-old vines grown in a complex mix of limestone, clay and silty soils.. Whole bunch pressed. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in barrels, sur lies without batonnage. Wines are vinified and matured eleven months in cellars in the heart of Nuits-St.-Georges, using neutral French oak barrels selected from two specialized artisanal coopers and wood from the forests of Alliers, Cher, Compeigne, Fontainbleau, Jupille and Oise.

Winemaker Pascal Marchand, a pioneering organic/biodynamic Burgundian, partnered with Canada's Moray Tawse in 2011 to form this négociant-domaine. They hand-pick fruit from biodynamic vineyards and now farm parcels in 20+ appellations. The 2012 purchase of Domaine Maume in Gevrey-Chambertin strengthened their foundation. Biodynamic Burgundy, seriously pursued.