Domaine A et P de Villaine Bouzeron Aligoté 2024

Domaine A & P de Villaine is one of Burgundy's most important ambassadors for aligoté. Founded by Aubert de Villaine, the longtime co director of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, and his wife Pamela, the estate settled in Bouzeron in the early 1970s with a mission to demonstrate that aligoté could produce wines of the same seriousness and terroir expression as Burgundy's finest chardonnay. Their efforts helped elevate Bouzeron to its own appellation in 1997, the only village level appellation in Burgundy dedicated exclusively to aligoté.

The estate farms organically and has long been a leader in environmentally responsible viticulture in the Côte Chalonnaise. The vineyards are planted predominantly to aligoté doré, an older and lower yielding selection that produces more aromatic and complex wines than the more common aligoté vert. Fruit is harvested by hand, gently whole cluster pressed, and fermented in a combination of tanks, barrels, and large oak vessels with careful temperature control to preserve freshness and site expression.

Bouzeron 2024 is sourced from 17 separate parcels of aligoté doré spread throughout the appellation's finest hillside vineyards. Many of these sites sit high on the slopes where white marl and limestone soils contribute both freshness and depth. The warm growing season allowed the grapes to achieve excellent ripeness while retaining the vibrant acidity that defines great aligoté. The wine is crafted to express the village as a whole, combining fruit, minerality, and texture into a remarkably complete expression of Bouzeron.

The 2024 vintage is one of the most compelling recent releases from the estate. Aromas of chalk, hawthorn blossom, acacia flowers, lemon zest, and orchard fruit lead into a palate that is both energetic and surprisingly layered. The wine balances ripe fruit with vibrant acidity, dense mineral character, and a distinctive mouthwatering bitterness that invites another sip. Fresh, saline, and beautifully textured, it captures why Domaine de Villaine is considered the benchmark producer of aligoté in Burgundy.