Comte Armand : Bourgogne Aligoté 2020

Tasting characteristics and advice for the Bourgogne Aligoté 2020 from Comte Armand

Tasting

Color

The wine displays a pale golden hue.

Nose

The nose reveals a fragrant bouquet, offering an expression that is both fresh and delicate.

Palate

On the attack, the palate unfolds with fresh citrus notes, accented by hints of pear and lime, followed by ginger notes on the finish. The wine shows a lively, well-balanced structure with bright acidity and coconut nuances, delivering a remarkably complex texture. Aromatic depth and finesse define this wine, which reveals an almost tannic texture with a fine phenolic grain.

Food and wine pairings

The Bourgogne Aligoté 2020 is an excellent match for seafood and grilled fish. It pairs delicately with aged goat cheeses. The wine also excels alongside salads, steamed vegetables and tabbouleh. It is also an outstanding complement to traditional Burgundian preparations such as gougères, garlic snails or parsley ham.

Serving and cellaring

The Bourgogne Aligoté 2020 can be served chilled, at around 10 to 12°C.

A Bourgogne Aligoté of exceptional complexity and depth

The estate

The Domaine Comte Armand traces its roots back to 1828, when the Clos des Épeneaux became the property of the Comte Armand family upon the marriage of Jean-François Armand to Clothilde Marey. Located in the Pommard appellation in the Côte de Beaune in Bourgogne, the estate exclusively farms the Clos des Épeneaux as a monopole, a 5.23-hectare vineyard that is one of the largest Premier Cru monopole parcels in the Côte-d'Or. The estate has been managed since 2014 by estate manager Paul Zinetti. Certified organic by Ecocert and practicing biodynamics, Domaine Comte Armand remains the property of the Armand family in an unbroken line since before the French Revolution, an extreme rarity in Bourgogne.

The vineyard

This cuvée comes from young vines planted over an area of 0.5 hectare. Domaine Comte Armand practices certified organic and biodynamic viticulture, without the use of herbicides or synthetic pesticides. Soil life is renewed through mechanical or manual plowing depending on the plots. To optimize soil vitality, the estate has reintroduced fruit and ornamental trees and maintains beehives to promote biodiversity. Preventive interventions are limited to simple herbal infusions based on nettle and dandelion, and decoctions of horsetail or willow. This Burgundian terroir allows aligoté to express an unusual complexity for the regional appellation.

The vintage

The 2020 vintage was marked by extremely hot, scorching weather conditions. Despite these challenging conditions, harvesting took place very late, three days after the end of the red-wine harvest, thus helping to preserve the acidity present in the finished wine. Quantities produced were very low due to the grapes’ low juice content.

Winemaking and aging

The Bourgogne Aligoté 2020 was aged half in stainless-steel tanks and half in 600-liter barrels. Aging took place for 12 months on fine lees. Fermentation was carried out with indigenous yeasts, using a gentle, classic approach for this grape variety. The wine is neither filtered nor fined, and may show natural sediment.

Grape variety

100% aligoté