BOURGOGNE ALIGOTÉ > Antonin RODET

BOURGOGNE ALIGOTÉ 2020

click on one of the vintages below for further information

2019 2020 2021 2022

Grape variety

100% Aligoté.

Wine and food pairing

Will be a great companion to slightly spicy or salty dishes such as meat, fried foods, chitterling sausages, seafood and goat's milk cheeses.

Serving temperature

Serve ideally between 10° and 12°C / 50°-54°F.

Ageing potential

2 to 3 years to appreciate its freshness.

History

This regional appellation may be cultivated throughout wine-growing Burgundy. The appellation covers a surface area of approximately 1,400 hectares.

The Aligoté grape is very famous in Burgundy and for a long time it's been only related to its use in the fabrication of the Kir (an Aperitif also very famous, made with Bourgogne Aligoté and Crème de Cassis, our regional blackcurrant liqueur).

But this varietal has been known in Burgundy since the 17th century, and it is increasingly considered as a qualitative grape and treated as such (low yields, vinification using oak barrels, etc).

Vinification and maturing

The grapes were vinified in low-temperature stainless steel tanks so that we keep all the freshness and tension of the varietal in the wine.
Then, the wine was aged on its lees in stainless steel tanks for about 6 months in order to get a little roundness in the wine and develop more complexity.

Vintage : 2020

"Never in my entire wine career have I seen such variations in the grapes than in the 2020 harvests" said Anne-Laure Hernette our winmaker.

It was an early vintage, with another very mild winter and therefore an early start to the growth cycle.

A rainy, cool May did not slow the vines down, and temperatures quickly rose again. The summer was one of the hottest we have experienced.

The vines reacted in very different ways depending on the sector and it was necessary to monitor the grapes’ phenolic maturity right up to the harvests, since in some cases the berries suffered significant water stress, resulting in delays in ripening and lower yields.

On the whole, the vines in Rully, Mercurey and Maranges held up well because several of our terroirs benefit from subterranean water sources which partially alleviated the stress.

But the fact remains that the expression of aromatic, phenolic and technological maturity was very different from previous years and the evolution of each parameter had to be closely monitored. Once again, the choice of harvest date was decisive in ensuring the quality of the future wines. Especially since there were sometimes significant differences in ripeness within the same plot.

Harvesting began on 24 August and ended on 16 September. Some sectors required patience: it was important not to harvest too quickly. The grapes were in an excellent state of health, but thorough sorting was necessary to separate berries that were still pink and yet side by side with ripe grapes.

Ultimately, yields were particularly reduced for the reds.

The character of the 2020 vintage will gradually be revealed as it undergoes barrel-ageing, but we can already appreciate it for its balance, promising colours, concentration and generous aromatic expression.