To coincide with the Burgundy Aligotés tasting at Athenaeum on 18 July, the « Swiss Army knife », as he calls himself, from the Rougeot Père & Fils estate joined Les Aligoteurs very early on. Now a member of the board, he looks back at the history of the association and its work.
How did Les Aligoteurs come into being?
It was created in 2018, I believe, following an evening spent at Boisrouge, Philippe Delacourcelle’s restaurant in Flagey-Échézeaux. The chef and his winemaker friends had decided to try each other’s Aligotés. And they loved it! At that time, this grape variety was still not recognised for its true worth. In contrast to the quality of the wines produced today, it still suffered from a poor image…
What was the cause of this dislike?
The production of Aligotés has not always been exemplary. For a long time, it was confined to high yields and low maturity. The wines were very acidic and not at all suited to everyone’s tastes. Then the effects of global warming began to make themselves felt: the Aligoté grapes are better able to withstand it, reaching a maximum of 12.5°/12.7°, still with good acidity. At the same time, many winemakers have started to work with this grape variety with the greatest care, meticulously selecting the vines and ageing the wine in barrels, sometimes for very long periods… All of which has restored Burgundy’s ‘ugly duckling’ to its former glory.
How is the association organised?
There are around ten people on the board, including the founders, restaurateur Philippe Delacourcelle and winemakers Sylvain Pataille, Laurent Fournier, Pablo Chevrot, Jérôme Galeyrand, Nicolas Faure… A number of initiatives are under way: a trade show organised every 18 months, in Boisrouge or elsewhere, bringing together around fifty of our members and 72 winemakers from the Mâconnais to the Chablis region; various occasional events, such as our tasting on 18 July at Athenaeum, which is open to the general public; and, after many years of study, the setting up of an aligoté conservatory.
And what about you? Why did you choose to join Les Aligoteurs?
I heard about the association right from the start and was immediately convinced of the merits of its approach. We couldn’t afford to miss the boat. On the one hand, I admired the wines of its founders; on the other, in Burgundy, there are very few groups of winemakers with a message for the general public. Because aligoté is accessible to as many people as possible, it offers a fantastic gateway to our region. Thanks to aligoté, attitudes are already changing. All over the world, sommeliers in 1, 2 and 3-star restaurants are putting Aligoté back on the menu, talking to their guests about it, daring to make unusual pairings… Here too, this grape variety is an inspiration. The Meursault winemakers’ association, of which I am a member, has asked the INAO for permission to plant around ten grape varieties within the appellation on a trial basis for 10 years. These include Aligoté. If this request is accepted, we’ll be able to supplement it with Chardonnay, as was the case before phylloxera. It will be very interesting to follow…