Sylvain Pataille Bourgogne Aligoté Champ Forey

Vintage: 2023

Origin: Burgundy, France

Grapes: Aligoté 

Alcohol: 12%

From a tiny 0.3-hectare plot in Marsannay, Sylvain Pataille turns Aligoté into something extraordinary. Grown on high-altitude limestone gravel with an eastern exposure, these 60-year-old vines yield an exceptionally precise white. Sylvain works biodynamically, pressing the grapes vertically and letting the juice ferment naturally with native yeasts in old oak barrels, followed by a year of ageing on fine lees without any stirring.

Easily the fruitiest and most generous of Sylvain's Aligoté line-up, it pairs juicy melon flavours with a complex nose of lemon, white blossoms, and flinty chalk. There is a rich, full-bodied weight to the palate, but a vibrant seam of saline freshness and energetic acidity keeps the wine clean, crisp, and laser-focused. It finishes with impressive length and structure, easily holding its own now or building even more depth over five to eight years in the cellar.