And I repeat, this is not merely a ‘quaffable’ white to mix with cassis in a Kir (as good as that sounds right now). Throughout the year, our mission is to present wines that defy easy classification, and this one fits that mission to a “t.” This is the ‘everyday’ white, elevated—with a big assist from the epic 2015 vintage, which surely lent this wine an added layer of intrigue. If you missed our offer of the dry Riesling from Leiner earlier this week—or, if you’re just not a Riesling person—this is another summer staple to stock up on. Its versatility is unparalleled.

 

Grown in Burgundy since the 17th century, Aligoté gained appellation status in 1937, but it is most often relegated to less-desirable vineyard locations—the cooler sites, the flatter sites with richer soils, etc. There are, obviously, exceptions, and those wines are, well, exceptional: Domaine Ramonet in Chassagne-Montrachet comes immediately to mind as one ‘blue-chip’ house that gives over some choice real estate to the grape, and you’ll find Aligotés from fancy addresses like Roulot and Ponsot as well. Boyer-Martenot, meanwhile, is a jewel-box property in Meursault, run with hands-on passion by fourth-generation proprietor Vincent Boyer. His fine-tuned Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet bottlings are complemented by this Aligoté, sourced from a vineyard within the Meursault village limits. The more clay-rich soils in this site don’t support great Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, but they deliver an Aligoté with some of the honeyed richness its home town is known for. Sourced from vines ranging from 10 to 70 years of age, the Boyer-Martenot Aligoté is fermented in stainless steel on indigenous yeasts, then aged in older French oak barrels.

 

In the glass, the 2015 is a reflective yellow-gold with hints of green at the rim, with aromatics that reflect its kinship with Chardonnay: green and yellow apple, salted lemon, a hint of white peach, white flowers, and crushed stones. The minerality and acidity are bracing and electric, an Aligoté calling card that 2015 helped soften up a bit; still, this is all about crisp, lip-smacking refreshment and will sing alongside shellfish, sushi and crudo, and salads of all types. Decanting never hurts, but it’s not required here: Simply pop the bottle and serve at about 40-45 degrees in Burgundy stems or all-purpose whites. As we start to really ramp up salad season, I’ve got vegetables on the brain as I sip this invigorating white: check it out with the attached recipe for shaved zucchini salad, preferably someplace sunny.