Julien Cruchandeau Bouzeron Aligote Cuvee Massale 2019
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Robert
Parker
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Notes of lemon curd and wet stone. Mineral, yet softness on the palate.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a parcel of vines located next to Domaine de Villaine's La Digoine, the 2019 Bouzeron Massale exhibits aromas of crisp orchard fruit, mint, vanilla pod and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and chiseled, with fine cut and structure, it concludes with a saline finish.
Julien Cruchandeau, a passionate and successful former musician, has been in tune with his vineyards in the tiny village of Chaux in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits above Nuits-Saint-Georges since 2003. A pioneer in Bouzeron, when Julien first purchased vineyards in the appellation, he wanted to plant the best quality vines. Aubert De Villaine, willing to promote Bouzeron further and help the next generation of producers, offered Julien plantings from his massale selection. Named in his honor as “Massale,” Julien’s Bouzeron is a shining example of the appellation. In 2007, he purchased a home that also contained a large cellar and beautiful vat room. In an area of Burgundy once considered for high volume and lower quality, Julien creates wines of depth and dimension.
Since 2011, the vineyards have been cultivated using organic treatments, with no chemical fertilizers, all to produce healthy and high-quality grapes. Julien pursues low yields to ensure the quality and expression of the soil and terroirs. The grapes are harvested by hand, and only indigenous yeasts are used during fermentation. He produces wine naturally, employing traditional methods bolstered with modern winemaking techniques. The aging process takes between eight and 18 months, depending on the cuvées, in vats or barrels. The wines are bottled after a light filtration, except for the Nuits-Saint-Georges, which remains unfiltered. His natural practices and hands-off style create truly impressive Burgundy Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that offer tremendous value; aromatic, bright, fresh, and pretty, with a clearly expressed sense of place.
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.
In Côte Chalonnaise, just south of the Côte de Beaune, the white grape, Aligoté has its very own appellation in the quaint village of Bouzeron. While the grape can grow throughout Burgundy and claim the general Bourgogne Aligoté appellation name, since 1997 Bourgogne Aligoté de Bouzeron has been promoted to its own appellation, simply called Bouzeron.