2019 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet, Bouzeron AC, White Burgundy, Cote Chalonnaise, France.
Ramonet, one of the most iconic and classic producers in Burgundy, mostly known for their whites, is never a wine to miss and this fantastic Bouzeron, 100% Aligoté, is a stunner that most people will mistake for one of their famous Chassagne bottlings, showcases just how good this grape can be! This 2019 is quite fresh, steely/flinty and reductive, even on day two with loads of matchstick and hazelnut, but still pure with lemon, white peach and subtle green apple and Bosc pear fruits, along with wet stones, white flowers, verbena, leesy/yeasty bread dough, tangy sour grass and delicate wood notes. The historic Domaine Ramonet produces close to two dozen Appellation wines from their prime 40 Acres of vine plots, that are located mostly around Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet, though this one comes from Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise, where this grape, rather than Chardonnay, thrives. Ramonet, who’s signature wine, the Premier Cru Chassagne-Montrachet Abbaye de Morgeot, that I’ve had from older vintages, goes for close to $600, never mind the unicorn Montrachet or Batard-Montrachet Grand Crus, wines I doubt I will ever have a chance to try, makes some of the most collectable and most coveted white wines in the world, but this one flies under the radar and is an exceptional value, once you get over the fact that it is Aligoté!
In the last decade, Aligote has gotten really good, the other white Burgundy grape, which usually gets quickly forgotten and while sometime pleasant has rarely been given much attention, but that has changed and you’ll find some amazing versions these days! The ones that have caught my eye and palate are wines like the Francois Carillon Aligote, that is one of the best and most interesting versions of this varietal I’ve come across, right up there with this much more old school, but brilliant Ramonet, and Domaine de Villiane, which is the standard of the industry these days, plus Pataille, Philippe Chavy, another gem, Domaine Dureuil-Janthial and last but not least, another favorite Benoit Ente. The village of Bouzeron, that became an AOC in 1997, in the Côte Chalonnaise, boasts the best Aligoté in Burgundy, and according to Kermit Lynch, has the preferred Aligoté Doré, (instead of the lesser clone, Aligoté Vert) which he says gives smaller yields, in the vineyards, to produce wines with more expressive aromatics and added complexity. The cooler climate and the clay, limestone and stony marl soils here also play a part in the driving mineral intensity, vibrancy and saline oyster shell note. This excellent pale straw/gold wine, which has a distinctive melon note that might give it away that it is Aligote, a grape that is found in almost all of Burgundy, from near Chablis to even further in the south as far as the Mâconnais, was crafted much the same as Jean-Claude and Noël Ramonet’s traditional bottlings, with very high end, but used barrels employed, giving the wine its class, full array of flavors and its pleasing medium bodied texture.
($45 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive