Bouzeron

Wine
Characteristics

White: its colour - pale gold verging on watery green - may deepen to light straw. The nose evokes acacia, white flowers, and hazel-bordered country lanes. Flinty mineral notes and lemon complete a classic bouquet, to which may sometimes be added a discreet touch of honey or warm croissant.
In the mouth its meaty, well-built body and luxurious vivacity brings out the distinct personality of the Aligoté grape. Minor differences in character depend on terroir.
 

Wine
Steward’s Tip

At once rounded and sprightly - a superb synthesis - this enjoyable and delicately powerful wine contributes lemony notes to oysters and matches their saltiness with its steady minerality. The same goes for cod roe (taramasalata), and crustaceans, steamed or in a cheese sauce. Its fullness enhances veal or poultry in white or cream sauce, and a mushroom risotto would also respond nicely to its aromatic persistence. It may also be served as a pre-dinner drink with savory puff pastries (gougères), or with dishes such as the burgundian specialty of cold ham with parsely (jambon persillé),mixed salads, or quiches. It goes perfectly well with most types of goat cheese, as well as with Beaufort, Comté or Cîteaux.
Serving temperatures: 10 to 11°C as a pre-dinner drink,11 to 12°C with meal.
 

Situation

Recognised in 1997 as a fully-fledged Burgundian appellation Village, the AOC Bouzeron is a salute to the Aligoté grape, to which it owes its fame. This variety of grape does particularly well in Bourgogne where its distinct personality comes well to the fore and gives its name to the appellation Régionale Bourgogne aligoté. Bouzeron lies in the Côte Chalonnaise in Northern Saône-et-Loire. The valley of the river Dheune separates it from Santenay and it is a close neighbor of Rully and Chassagne-Montrachet. Its hillsides have seen human activity going back into the mists of time and the district has even given its name –Chassean - to a prehistoric culture, famous for its artwork.

Terroirs

The Aligoté grape may be said to have fallen in love with this piece of ground, lying at an altitude between 270 and 350 meters. The upper portion consists of white marls derived from Oxfordian limestone (the first stage of the Jurassic system). Elsewhere, the slopes consist in part of brown marly soils derived from Bath limestone. The soil is generally thin and the slopes steep.
Exposure is east or south-east. Some plots are especially valued. Bouzeron, appellation Village, is made exclusively with grapes grown in white marly limestone on the upper slopes and this, together with a pruning method known as gobelet or palmette, allows yields to be carefully controlled, offering a very typical wine that is strongly rooted in its terroir. The lower slopes are used for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for wines sold as AOC Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise.

Lieux-dits