Bourgogne Aligote 'Les Auvonnes au Pepe' 2022
Sylvain Pataille

(90-92) pts Vinous
The 2022 Bourgogne Aligoté Auvonnes Au Pépé, named after the lieu-dit on marn soils, has one of my favorite bouquets from Pataille: endearing lemon thyme, pear, and white peach aromas blossom in the glass. The palate is well-balanced with a crisp bead of acidity. It is lightly spiced, but what makes this wine is the lip-smacking salinity on the finish. Very more-ish. - By Neal Martin on November 2023

Variety: Aligoté Doré
Vine Age: Panted in the 1930s
Terroir: Slope facing east, 250-meters elevation, clay and marl soils with many small limestone rocks
Viticulture: Certified organic, biodynamic methods
Vinification: Vertical press, indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 12 months in older barrels and demi-muids, minimal sulfur additions only at bottling.

About:
Etymology: Grandpa’s Auvonnes.
Auvonne, or Auvone, is the regional dialect for avoine, meaning oats, from the Latin AVENA, meaning wild oats. Auvonnes is therefore a place where oats used to be grown. (Marie-Hélène Landrieu-Lussigny.)
Pépé is informal French for grandfather or old man. This vineyard belonged to Sylvain’s grandfather. Unlike Auvonnes, Pépé is not part of the name of the lieu-dit.
This vineyard used to belong to Pataille's grandfather, hence the Pépé in the cuvée title. Average annual production is only 25 cases.
Sylvain notes the characteristic reductive minerality despite the change in location, grape, and bedrock. He believes this minerality is so beautiful that it would be a shame to make red wine on this terroir.