Collection: Domaine A. et P. de Villaine

Bouzeron, the appellation Aubert de Villaine brought into being

Bouzeron is the only village appellation in Burgundy reserved for Aligoté. It would not exist without the persistence of Aubert de Villaine, who argued for more than twenty years that this grape variety deserved better than kir. The appellation was recognised in 1997. Here the domaine works Aligoté doré, an old selection, finer and less productive, on the marl and limestone slopes above the village. The result is a taut, saline white, far more capable of ageing than one imagines. To understand this grape variety, read our article on Aligoté.

Around twenty hectares in organic farming, from Bourgogne to Premier Cru

The vineyard covers around twenty hectares spread over Bouzeron, Rully and Mercurey. It has been farmed under certified organic agriculture since the late 1990s, which makes it one of the first conversions in the region, well before the subject became common. Pierre de Benoist, nephew of Aubert de Villaine, is in charge of technical management.

The method is constant from one cuvée to the next: manual harvesting, indigenous yeasts, very measured extraction on the reds, and ageing in barrels that are very largely old. The domaine does not seek the taste of oak but the legibility of the terroir. That is what explains why its wines often seem lighter than their neighbours when tasted, and yet age better.

The whites

Bouzeron is the emblematic wine, in Aligoté doré. Les Clous Aimé is the domaine's Chardonnay in Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise, from a high lieu-dit with lean limestone soils. At Rully, the domaine makes a village wine, Les Saint-Jacques, and three premiers crus: Margotés, the most taut, Rabourcé, the most ample, and Raclot, the most aromatic. If you are discovering the whites of Burgundy, our guide on the reputation of the whites of Burgundy gives the useful markers.

The reds

La Digoine is the most sought-after red of the domaine, and one of the most cited Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise of the region: a regional appellation wine worked like a cru. La Fortune, on lighter soils, drinks earlier. Mercurey Les Montots brings the structure of the largest red appellation of the Côte Chalonnaise. Finally, the Rully premiers crus Champs Cloux and Les Cloux are among the best finesse to price ratios in Burgundian Pinot Noir today. See also our article on the Pinot Noir grape variety.

Why this domaine is worth the detour

The Côte Chalonnaise remains one of the last areas of Burgundy where wines of great origin can still be found at reasonable prices. At de Villaine, you are buying the know-how of a man who spent half a century at Vosne-Romanée, applied to appellations that do not have the standing of the Côte de Nuits. This is exactly the kind of bottle we look for. Find other discoveries in our article on the gems of the Burgundy domaines.

Discover also our whole selection of Burgundy wines, our white wines and our red wines.