Posted on 23/08/2021
Welcome to the Côte Chalonnaise!
Now that our tour of the Côte de Beaune is complete, we've come to the Côte Chalonnaise. This narrow area lies in the Saône-et-Loire département. It's one of the five subdivisions of the Burgundy vineyards, along with Chablis (and the grand Auxerrois), the Côte de Nuits, the Côte de Beaune and the Mâconnais, and is obviously full of real nuggets, including the Bouzeron we're going to focus on today.
Located between the villages of Chagny and Rully, on the banks of the Saône-et-Loire river, the Bouzeron appellation produces exclusively white wines from the Aligoté grape variety, which accounts for only 6% of Burgundy's total. Set in a north-south valley, the climate is continental, with rather cold winters and hot summers, perfect for the production of aligoté, with the added benefit of limestone soils that produce dry, flinty but quite fruity wines.
This white wine is pale in color, sometimes tending toward watery green, and may even be light straw-colored. On the nose, Bouzeron evokes acacia, white flowers and hazelnut, slightly. Mineral aromas such as flint and gunflint are also present. These aromas are counterbalanced by fresh notes of lemon and lime. A hint of honey is sometimes present, but is rare.
Bouzeron is an appetizer wine that needs to retain its character and typicity. The appellation is satisfyingly full-bodied, but with an interesting complexity that appeals to a wide range of tastes. Burgundians love its roundness.
Bouzeron goes well with snails à la Bourguignonne, parsley ham, seafood and goat's cheese. Its lemony notes are the perfect complement to oysters. The recommended serving temperature is 10 to 11 degrees for aperitifs, and 11 to 12 degrees at the table.
