Wine of the Week 4/30/19

Domaine Bernard et Fils Dubois Bourgogne Aligoté 2015
Regularly $16.99/On sale for $11.96

Red and white grapes grown together.

Formerly known as Domaine Jean-Luc Dubois, this winery was thrown into crisis in 2009 by the death of Jean-Luc, the fifth generation winemaker.  His cousin Jacques Dubois stepped in, taking over the direction of the estate until Jean-Luc’s daughter is old enough to take over. The quality of the wines has remained very high.  They make wines from vineyards in Chorey-Lès-Beaune and Savigny-Lès-Beune, tiny regions that are unusual for producing both white and red burgundy (one can still find vineyards in the area co-planted with both grapes). The domaine farms their high altitude parcels (average of 50 year-old vines) with extreme care, focusing on small yields and sustainable practices. Once in the cellar, extraction is kept to an absolute minimum, only indigenous yeasts are used, and the wines are aged and fermented in barrel.   While most white Burgundy is famously made from Chardonnay, it may also be produced from a much more obscure descendent of Pinot Noir called Aligoté.  We love the friendly but zingy acidity of Aligoté, and, for the money, you can often find wines of higher quality from this grape than from their more familiar cousins.  This is a very classy wine at a porch wine price. Stock up for the summer!