Aline Beauné, Bourgogne Blanc on Sale

Aline Beauné, Bourgogne Blanc

It feels like a bit of a holiday miracle that in the space of a few days we get the opportunity to highlight not one, but two exceptionally talented female winemakers who have established their own Burgundy domaines through sheer grit and determination. First we had Caroline Bellavoine’s elegant Pinot Noirs, and now we get to highlight an outrageously fresh, drenched in minerality White Burgundy from the über talented Aline Beauné. Sourced from a small parcel of vines in her home village of Montagny, this precise, unadorned Chardonnay is bursting at the seams with energy and verve. At the same time there is a depth, and sense of classic complexity that shines through the taught structure and whispers to those who listen that this is a winemaker that will be producing masterpieces for many, many years to come. 

Aline Beauné is basically a one woman show, and a one person domaine, working tirelessly in the vines and in the cellar as she attempts to put her winemaking prowess on display for all those willing to give this tiny estate a chance. But she didn’t exactly come out of nowhere. Aline had been working alongside Ludovic Pierrot (a rising star himself) at the l’Abbaye de Santenay for over a decade when a small plot of vines in Montagny became available. The 5 hectares of land did belong to members of her extended family, but they had never made wine and instead had been leasing them out for many years. When that long term lease ended in 2018 Aline asked if she could take over and presto: a new domaine was born.

Montagny is near the southern edge of the Cote Chalonnaise and is often overlooked in the pantheon of great Chardonnay villages. But the geology, climate and expositions here are very similar to some other communes that have attached “Montrachet” to their names. So when you combine top notch terroir with a talented and passionate grower like Aline you have everything you need for some great White Burgundy that really punches above its price point. Aline is in the process of converting the parcels to fully organic farming, and using biodynamic treatments to help along the way. In the cellar she has a very light touch and seeks to emphasize fruit, minerality and a taught structure. This is especially true for her Bourgogne blanc, which is sourced from a small, 1.3 hectare vineyard just outside the village appellation. The vines are 30 years old and sit on a bed of almost pure limestone, with very thin topsoil, and so Aline ferments and ages the wine in stainless steel only, no oak, in order to emphasize the purity of fruit and the cut of chalky minerality.

The focus on fruit, texture, and savory minerals might have me blinding this wine as a Premier Cru Chablis, but there is a bit more umph, a bit more sunny ripeness up front that perhaps the most astute sommeliers would recognize as something from the Mâcon or Côte Chalonnaise. In the glass the wine is very vibrant, pale yellow with a hint of lime green that belies its youth. Serve this crystalline beauty at a crisp 45-50 degrees after a brief decant to air out any touch of reduction (unless you want a hint of matchstick, then just pop and pour!). Aromas of fresh apples, white peach, honeysuckle, star jasmine, lemon-lime zest, raw almond, and touch of white pepper lead to a bright, but still very elegant texture that finishes with gobs of saline minerals. A perfect pairing for almost anything from the sea, it’s a no-brainer for raw oysters or simply prepared, pan-seared fish. It’s a real joy to drink it now in its unbridled youth, but the structure and acidity will allow this lovely White Burgundy to improve for at least four or five more years. Production is tiny, grab some before it is gone!