Benjamin Leroux Bourgogne-Aligote 2019

Long before Aligoté's current revival among serious Burgundy drinkers, Benjamin Leroux was already championing it — a passion that dates back to his years as régisseur at Domaine Comte Armand. He first bottled this wine in 2016, using only old Aligoté Doré vines — a superior, lower-yielding strain prized for extra depth — from Bouzeron, and has since added a parcel near Meursault, in the Les Belles Roses climat, where some vines run 80 to 100 years old alongside younger 30-year-old plantings. The fruit is directly pressed and fermented on indigenous yeasts, then matured in a considered mix of seasoned oak ovals, glass "WineGlobes," and stoneware amphora — a deliberately varied approach designed to build texture and complexity without letting any single vessel dominate.

The result is Aligoté at its most serious: citrus, green apple, and white flowers on the nose, opening onto a bright, vivacious palate of lemon, pear, and grapefruit, with a touch of quince and real mineral drive. Where Aligoté can sometimes show rustic, one-dimensional edges, this version is layered and graceful, carried by vibrant acidity and a lightly spiced, lingering finish. Production is tiny and it remains a benchmark example of just how good the variety can be in the right hands.