As Bourgogne Chardonnay becomes ever-more eye-wateringly expensive so the canny wine buyer needs to look for alternatives. In Burgundy that means seeking out lesser-known appellations and sites which, through climate change, have started competing with some of the top slopes. And it could also mean rethinking Aligoté – the region’s other white grape – that, in the hands of top winemakers such as Maison Chanzy, can seriously compete with Chardonnay – not just on the palate but for vignerons in the vineyard too.
By Geoffrey Dean October 28, 2022
2020 vision: Domaine Chanzy’s Loic Cornuau and Xavier Badinand
Quite how good the best Aligoté can be was well illustrated by a tasting at 67 Pall Mall of three labels of the variety produced by Maison Chanzy from the 2020 vintage. The varying styles of Aligoté were very much apparent, with one matured predominantly in stainless steel and the other two embracing much more of an oak regime. Retailing between £18.99 and £38.99, these alternative Burgundian whites are fair value for their quality, and distributed by Alliance Wine, which began working with Chanzy just over a year ago and has a broad selection of its range.
Xavier Badinand, Chanzy’s general manager, and Loic Cornuau, their export manager, flew in for the tasting, which also featured a Chanzy Chardonnay from Rully and two of its premier cru Pinots Noirs from Mercurey and Maranges. The UK is Chanzy’s number one export market, taking about 10% of all exports, which make up 45-50% of production from 66 hectares under vine in the Côte Chalonnaise, Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits.
The winery is situated in Bouzeron, one of the smallest appellations in Burgundy and the primary one for the production of Aligoté. Where the grape is grown in Burgundy outside Bouzeron – mostly on flat ground in the Côte Chalonnaise and Chablis – it is just ‘Bourgogne Aligoté’. Any Bouzeron AOC wine must be 100% Aligoté. In the nineteenth century, it used to be planted in Meursault, and in 1930, a legal pronouncement permitted Corton-Charlemagne to be made with the variety.
Maison Chanzy is situated in Bouzeron: the promary appellation for Aligoté
“Only 168 people live in Bouzeron, but it has four wineries and 45 growers,” Badinand said. “We own 14 hectares there, which is a quarter of the area under vine, and use only our fruit – we don’t buy in any. The soil of limestone and blue marl is ideal for Aligoté as is the altitude, up to 390m, which is high for Burgundy. The maximum yield allowed in Bouzeron is 65hl/ha but our average is closer to 50, which is about the same as a Rully or Mercurey white.”
Some of Chanzy’s older Aligoté vines, which range between 40 and 59 years in age, are exceptionally low-yielding, and can really bring down the average yield. In 2021, that average was “a bit less than 20hl/ha – the lowest I can remember,” according to Cornuau. The resulting concentration was a notable feature. Indeed, the Vieilles Vignes, Clos de la Fortune 2020 from a 0.59h plot planted in 1963 could easily be mistaken for a top-end Chardonnay.
Citrus-like fruit, high levels of acidity, an affinity with oak and 100% malolactic fermentation for all three labels also support the notion they could be Chardonnay. Indeed, Aligoté’s great strength is its low pH – between 3.10-3.12 for all three of these Chanzy labels.
“Our goal is just to reflect our terroir,” Badinand declared. “The idea is to show that Aligoté in Bouzeron can be something of a high end wine. And as a late ripening variety with such good acidity, it can counter global warming. It is also more disease-resistant than Chardonnay and doesn’t require much green harvest if our work on the soil is well done.”
The domaine is HVE3-certified, the highest nod to environmental practices short of organic certification. “It’s not just viticulture where we are HVE3 but the whole environment – trees, borders and water, ” Badinand revealed. “We are trying to turn organic but are not certified, although we use many organic elements. We do a lot of very soft ploughing. It’s not easy to go to organic just like that as we have 66 hectares, and need more time.”
Tasting the Maison Chanzy wines
Bouzeron Les Trois, 2020 Maison Chanzy 12.5% abv; £18.99 The Vineking, Barrel and Still, The Wandering Palate.
One of the few Aligotés that Chanzy blends from three different sites – all facing in different directions (south-west, south-east and north). Notable freshness with some weight to the palate from a touch of new oak (10% from one new 228-litre pièce). Mostly aged in stainless steel. Clean and crisp with very appealing lemon fruit. Average age of vines is 30-40 years, giving some complexity. Yield of 55hl/ha. Ready now, but will keep for the next 4-5 years.
Bouzeron Clos de la Fortune Monopole, 2020 Maison Chanzy 12.5% abv; £26.99, Cellar Door Wines, Reserve Wines.
Chanzy is the only producer of this vineyard, a south-east facing parcel of 2.76h with more blue marl and limestone, and less clay. Similar age vines (30-35 years old) but a lower yield of 40hl/ha. Quite different élevage, with 80% matured in oak, mostly older although 15% new. More depth and richness than the lighter style of Les Trois. Complex with minerality, and good bitterness on a long finish.
Bouzeron Clos de la Fortune, Vielles Vignes, 2020 Maison Chanzy 12.5% abv; £38.99, Dunell’s, Amps
Barely half a hectare of old vines planted in 1963 produced 854 bottles of this outstanding Aligoté in the 2020 vintage. Fruit harvested as early as September 3 in what was a very warm year, with élevage for 16 months in three barrels, one of which was new with very light toast. The other two were used for the 2015 and 2016 vintages. Real weight and complexity, along with glorious freshness and concentrated pear and citrus notes.
Rully Les Cailloux, 2020 Maison Chanzy 13% abv; £27.99, Mango Wines, Hitchin Wine Co, Vineking
A small 1.7h plot of Chardonnay at 340m east of Rully, just to the south of Bouzeron, with lots of small stones. These reflect into the grapes, giving minerality. Elevage for 15 months in 50% stainless steel and 50% oak (one new 228-litre pièce out of seven in total). Very classy white Burgundy with vibrant acidity (pH 3.20) and excellent length, as well as concentration from 40-year old vines.
Mercurey 1er Cru Clos Voyens, 2020 Maison Chanzy 14% abv; £37.99, The Bottle Shop, Wine World
From a one-hectare parcel facing south that Chanzy took over in 2017. The Pinot Noir was planted in 1979 and 1980, and some had to be grubbed up with new plantings made. An exceptional vintage, where Badinand feels the terroir really expresses itself. “It has such finesse and elegance with very fine tannins,” he purred. Elevage was 16 months in two new barrels and ten older ones, followed by three months in vat and late bottling at the end of May 2022.
Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière, 2020 Maison Chanzy 14% abv; £39.99, Dunell’s, Carruthers & Kent, Vineking
Chanzy owns one hectare of Pinot on this 37-hectare site, which is south-facing on sandy soil with clay on limestone. The formerly rustic style of this lesser-known appellation has given way to a softer one that is approachable sooner. Glorious raspberry and damson fruit with spicy notes and texture from 20% new oak that is very well-integrated. No filtration, and plenty of concentration from low yields of 40hl/ha. Complex and long with lovely balance, as well as freshness from a low pH of 3.35.