Bourgogne Aligoté En Rateaux 2020 – Gouffier

The Golden Bourgogne Aligoté En Rateaux Gouffier grapes were harvested in a healthy condition once they had achieved optimum maturity and were carefully selected in the cellar. The Bourgogne Aligoté En Rateaux Gouffier grapes were very delicately transferred via a conveyor belt directly to the fermentation vessel in order to retain the integrity of the fruit. They were then slowly and very gently pressed to extract the juice. Fermentation took place in old French oak followed by ageing for 12 months in 228 litre barrels. Working in partnership with their cooper based in Cognac, since the 2013 vintage, Gouffier has been experimenting with using oak from the state forests of Fontaine, just a few miles from the vines, endeavouring to stay true to the local terroir.

The vineyard is based in Fontaine, in the Côte Chalonnaise. The climate is continental, with warm summers and cold winters. The vineyard has been sustainably farmed since 2011, with ploughing replacing weed-killers and treatments have been significantly reduced. The vines are carefully managed between the spring and summer months to ensure optimal conditions for healthy, mature grapes at harvest time; with strict debudding, leaf thinning and tilling of the soil. The vines are grown in marly-chalk soils from the Jurassic period.

Gouffier owns five and a half hectares of vineyard in the villages of Fontaines and Mercurey in Côte Chalonnaise. Historically it was run by the Gouffier family for generations until Jerome Gouffier handed over the reins to his close friend Frédéric Gueugneau, formerly at La Chablisienne. Since 2011, Frédéric and oenologist Benoît Pagot has brought about a new style of winemaking. They follow an organic philosophy to create wines that are modern and approachable, but with all the style and panache of good Burgundy. They have created a collection of wines of outstanding originality, verve and spirit.