{"product_id":"sylvain-pataille-bourgogne-aligote-2023","title":"Sylvain Pataille Bourgogne Aligote 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAligote is Burgundy's other white grape, the one long dismissed as thin and sour, fit only for splashing into a Kir. Sylvain Pataille has done more than anyone to prove that reputation wrong. His Bourgogne Aligote comes from old vines around Marsannay at the northern end of the Cote de Nuits, split between two sites: Champ Forey, on limestone and gravel, and Auvonnes, on clay and marl studded with small stones. That same limestone and marl grows serious Pinot Noir, and in the right hands it gives Aligote a structure and minerality closer to premier cru white Burgundy than to the simple carafe wine most people expect.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e100% Aligote Dore, the finer old strain of the grape, from vines averaging 50 years old. The fruit is direct-pressed and fermented with ambient yeast, roughly two-thirds in used barrels and one-third in tank, then aged about 12 months with only a small amount of sulfur added at bottling. 2023 was a strong year for white Burgundy, bright and precise, and it shows here as mineral freshness, citrus, and white flowers over a taut, balanced palate with real length. There is nothing thin about it; this is Aligote made with the seriousness usually reserved for Chardonnay.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSylvain Pataille is the grape's most persuasive advocate, a grower who deliberately hangs onto tiny parcels of ancient Aligote vines that others would have pulled out long ago. He founded his Marsannay domaine in 1999 with a single hectare and now farms around 17 hectares, certified organic and worked biodynamically, with horse-ploughing, high-density planting, and very low yields. Trained as an oenologist and once a sought-after consultant, he built his own reputation partly on reviving a grape the rest of Burgundy had written off. His Aligotes are now benchmarks, and they have pulled the whole category up with them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAligote is a natural with Burgundian classics. Pour it with warm gougeres, a dozen oysters, escargots in garlic butter, or a round of tangy goat cheese. Its high acidity and saline cut make it ideal for briny and buttery dishes alike, and it is bright enough to wake up fried fish or a simple green salad with vinaigrette. Serve it well chilled as an aperitif, or bring it to the table with the first course.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harvest","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50592922861791,"sku":null,"price":41.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P7230746.jpg?v=1785128774","url":"https:\/\/denverwinemerchant.com\/products\/sylvain-pataille-bourgogne-aligote-2023","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}