Sylvain Pataille - Bourgogne Aligoté 2022

A fragrant and fresh white wine, with a strong savoury and citrus component, citric and with a marked verticality.

Aligoté from two different vineyard parcels on different soils between 200 and 300 meters from vines of 50 years of average age. One with a prevalence of pebbles and limestone, the other characterized by marl and clay. Fermentation takes place between steel and barrique and is spontaneous, without temperature control. The refinement is divided between steel and small oak barrels.

Alcohol content: 12% Vol

Sylvain Pataille founded the winery in 1999 with just one hectare of vineyard (today 24 hectares of Aligoté, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc) a few km from Dijon, in Côte d'Or, in the municipality of Marsannay-la-Côte.

Sylvain's desire is to best express the AOC Marsannay by producing biodynamic wines with organic certification.
Among the various merits we certainly find that of having brought back into fashion the Aligoté, which was at risk of disappearing.

Curiosities about Marsannay:

The AOC Marsannay is divided into three municipalities: Chenôve, one of the oldest villages in Burgundy, where, in the southern part, we find a vineyard of fundamental importance: the Clos du Roy.
The other commune is Marsannay-La-Côte, rich in vineyards, forests, cellars and stone houses: the border of Burgundy was there and proper. The last village of the AOC Marsannay is Couchey.

There are currently no vineyards classified better than “Villages”, although a significant number of Premiers Crus are awaiting approval from the INAO.

I remember that the potential surface area of ​​Marianna is 511 hectares, which if compared to its other AOCs of classic Burgundy (Saint-Romain 93 hectares and Chorley-Les-Beaune 154 hectares) which are in the same situation, is enormous.

Marsannay is the only denomination that allows the production of white, red and rosé wines within the regulations. In fact, it can produce a rosé with the name of the municipality (Marsannay rosé) instead of as “Bourgogne Rosé” as for the rest of the Côte. This comes from historical reasons: in the mid-1800s, Marsannay was the municipality where there was a tendency to produce simpler wines at more affordable prices, to be dedicated to the internal market and in particular to satisfy the great thirst for wine of the inhabitants of Dijon, for this reason precedence has historically been given to Gamay rather than Pinot Noir. It was Joseph Clair-Daü in 1919 who reintroduced Pinot Noir with the aim of producing a rosé wine to be given as an alternative to the widespread Provençal rosés to the clientele of Dijon restaurants, in particular to the “Trois Faisans”. The example was then followed by others and this is the reason why Marsannay Rosé exists today.

As for the Marsannay Rouge, on the other hand, it is among the most fragrant and easy to drink of the whole Côte, characterised by a not exaggerated tannin and a well-integrated and balanced acidity in the glass, without giving extreme complexity in the sip.
Marsannay Blancs, on the other hand, have an incredible ability to stand the test of time and, in fact, sometimes it is better to know how to wait for them. I would particularly like to highlight the strong mineral presence of Chardonnay and the splendid results achieved with Aligoté, which is always worth tasting to open the way to a long aperitif or an excellent dinner.

Best Villages plots in Marsannay:

Clos du Roy - Les Longeroies - En La Montagne - Les Echézots - Le Charme Aux Prêtres - Les Boivin - Les Grasses Têtes - Les Vaudenelles - Clos du Jeu - Saint-Jacques - Les Favières - Au Champ Salomon - Aux Genelières - Champs Perdrix