Winemaker Notes
Domaine de Bellene's obsession at Bellene with old vines and low yields worked to their advantage in 2017. The wines show more concentration, grip and complexity as a result. In the end, the vintage was saved by the cooperation of growers who made the right decision to defend against late April frost. They were rewarded with a near perfect growing season afterwards and avoided the frost-induced challenges that most European vineyards encountered in 2017. Teamwork really paid off in this vintage.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Domaine de Bellene Bourgogne Aligoté is an excellent wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine is ripe and smooth. Enjoy its appealing and lovely aromas and flavors of ripe apples and mineral notes with herb-accented, grilled chicken thighs. (Tasted: January 16, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
A native but unique white grape to Burgundy, Aligoté is a light bodied white that often ends up unfairly lost in Chardonnay’s shadow. In Côte Chalonnaise, in a quaint village named Bouzeron, just south of the Côte de Beaune, Aligoté has its very own appellation where yields are limited in order to enhance flavors, acidity and overall quality. Somm Secret—Curiously, the famous producer, Domaine Ponsot, bottles a 100% Aligoté from its Premier Cru in Morey-Ste-Denis, Les Monts Luisants, made from Aligoté vines planted in 1911.
The most acclaimed region of Burgundy, the Côte d’Or is defined by a long, limestone escarpment beneath the ground's surface and is home to all of Burgundy’s most famous wines. While Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are produced throughout the Côte d’Or, the north tends to excel at Pinot Noir and the south, at Chardonnay.
The northern half of the Côte d’Or is called the Côte de Nuits. Here reside most of the Pinot noir Grands Crus vineyards of Burgundy—the only one farther south, in Côte de Beaune, is Aloxe-Corton.
The Côte de Beaune is the center all of the Chardonnay Grands Crus with the exception of Le Musingy, found in Chambolle-Musigny in the Côte de Nuits, which produces both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with Grand Cru status.