2015 Domaine A. & P. de Villaine Bourgogne Cote Chalonnaise La Digoine

Domaine A. & P. de Villaine in Bouzeron is owned and operated by Aubert de Villaine and his wife Pamela. Aubert de Villaine is an heir to the DRC domaine and is still co-owner and co-director of DRC. The couple bought property in Bouzeron, an appellation between Chassange-Montrachet and Rully in the Cote Chalonnaise, in the 1970s and were instrumental in advocating for the creation of a Bouzeron appellation in 1997. Aligote is the premier grape grown in Bouzeron, and A. & P. de Villain has Aligote parcels in Bouzeron, as well as Chardonnay in Rully and Pinot Noir in Mercurey. The domain has 50 acres altogether. Clive Coates has written that Aubert de Villaine “produces some of the best generic wines in Burgundy.”

Côte Chalonnaise is just south of Côte de Beaune, but a million miles away in terms of its recognition as a part of Burgundy. Writer Clive Coates has called Côte Chalonnaise a “well-known forgotten area…While everyone acknowledges that it is worth investigating, few merchants bother to go prospecting.” Part of the recognition problem is that until 1990 there was no Côte Chalonnaise appellation for generic wines. Today there is a Bourgogne-Côte Chalonnaise appellation that covers parts of 44 villages. There are also five villages with AOC status and many Premier Cru vineyards, though no Grand Crus. The villages are Rully, Mercurey, Givry, Montagny and Bouzeron. Bouzeron is noteworthy because its white wines are made from the Aligoté grape rather than Chardonnay. The other villages produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Côte Chalonnaise has about 300 acres of vineyards.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.