Description

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
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 have 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.

THE VINTAGE
The 2022 vintage was a dry, hot and early vintage. Warm spring weather resulted in early flowering and the heat continued into summer. Localised thunderstorms brought rainfall at the end of June. July and August were among the hottest and driest months of the last 30 years. The grapes were harvested in good, healthy conditions and show excellent ripeness and luscious fruit characters.

ABOUT THE VINEYARD:
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 pruning method employed is the ‘Guyot Poussard’, which respects the sap-flow of the vine, reducing the serious consequences of pruning cuts and optimising the vine’s health. The vines are grown in marly-chalk soils from the Jurassic period.

THE WINEMAKING PROCESS:
The Aligoté grapes were harvested in a healthy condition once they had achieved optimum maturity and were carefully selected in the cellar. The 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 with natural yeast in old French oak, followed by ageing for 12 months in 228-litre barrels. Lee’s stirring did not take place. 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.

OUR TASTING NOTE:
An elegant and polished example of Aligoté, with a floral bouquet complemented by citrussy grapefruit notes. This wine shows a good weight from a touch of oak, and with purity of fruit through to a sustained and saline finish.

GRAPE VARIETY:
Aligoté 100%.