JEAN-CHARLES FAGOT Bourgogne Aligote Vieilles Vigne 2023/24 Bottle

Description

IN BRIEF
Jean Charles Fagot Auxey Duresses Blanc Les Hautes 2022 and Bourgogne Aligoté Vieilles Vignes are bright, food friendly Burgundies with mineral focus and charming fruit. Les Hautes shows pale straw colour, citrus blossom, green apple, white peach and a saline crushed shell seam, with subtle toasted almond oak and a rounded mid palate. Drink to 2030 at 10 to 12°C with scallops or roast hake. The Aligoté is pale straw with lime blossom, green apple and lemon, edged by crushed chalk and wet stone, zesty and nervy yet surprisingly creamy from lees. Serve 10 to 12°C with shellfish, oysters or goat cheese. Both are precise, approachable and great for now or a few years in bottle and worth cellaring.

ABOUT THIS WINE
Jean-Charles Fagot’s Bourgogne Aligoté Vieilles Vignes offers a fresh, focused expression of Aligoté framed by old vine concentration. Pale straw with glints of green at the rim, the wine catches the light with a crystalline clarity that promises precision. The first aromas are lime blossom, green apple and a squeeze of lemon, followed by subtler notes of white pepper, crushed chalk and wet river stones that speak to the cool limestone soils. With aeration a faint floral lift appears, honeysuckle and citrus zest, while a whisper of almond skin and beeswax suggests texture beneath the energetic acidity.

On the palate the wine is medium light yet surprisingly persistent. Bright acidity drives a linear core of citrus pith, Granny Smith apple and tart pear, balanced by a mineral saline thread that frames the fruit without overwhelming it. Mid palate richness hints at lees contact: soft bodied, creamy accents emerge, knitting with the wine’s taut structure to produce an impression of weight without heaviness. Flavours of verbena, green tea and a touch of dried herbs unfold, adding complexity and depth.

The finish is long, clean and saline, leaving lingering citrus oils, crushed stone and a delicate almond bitterness that invites another sip. Despite its youthful verve, there is an underlying maturity and definition that reflect old vine concentration and careful élevage.

Serve chilled but not ice cold (around 10–12°C). This Bourgogne Aligoté pairs beautifully with simply prepared shellfish, cold water prawns, oysters, goat’s cheese salads and light Asian dishes featuring citrus or ginger. Drink now until 2028 for freshness, or cellar gently for short term development.

Compared with regional examples this bottling shows notable focus, with a purity and mineral tension more commonly associated with premier terroirs. It rewards aeration and benefits from a few years bottle age, when the sharpened acidity integrates and tertiary notes of honeyed orchard fruit begin to emerge.

-----

ABOUT JEAN-CHARLES FAGOT
Jean-Charles Fagot is a charismatic vigneron of the Côte de Beaune whose wines combine traditional craft with lively personality. He farms roughly three hectares centred on Corpeau and supplements his production with carefully chosen grapes from neighbouring growers, vinifying everything to his exacting standards. Key bottlings include a Bourgogne Blanc Cote d’Or Les Champs Huillier and a spirited Bourgogne Aligoté, while very small parcels yield Puligny-Montrachet village and the 1er Cru Hameau de Blagny when vintage and purchase opportunities allow.

In the vineyard Fagot follows lutte raisonnée, intervening with chemical treatments only when necessary to protect vine health. Canopy management, green harvesting when required and selective hand picking are routine, aimed at achieving balanced ripeness and concentration. His parcels are tended with respect for soil life and biodiversity so that each plot can express its particular minerality and textural nuance.

Vinification is traditional, natural and hands on. Whites are gently pressed and fermented with attention to preserving varietal purity. Fagot uses a combination of large oak foudres and smaller barrels for élevage, typically ageing wines for twelve to fourteen months to develop texture and integrate lees influence without overwhelming primary fruit. He adapts élevage choices to the character of each parcel and vintage, favouring subtle oak support rather than dominant wood signatures. When he buys fruit from neighbours it receives the same careful sorting and cellar treatment as estate fruit.

Stylistically his wines are noted for clarity, structural poise and an engaging balance of energy and roundness. The Bourgogne Aligoté is lively and precise, the Bourgogne Blanc shows floral lift, citrus and saline minerality, and the Puligny examples—rare and small in quantity—offer the refined depth and ageing potential expected from the commune.

Beyond winemaking Jean-Charles is a gifted musician and proprietor of the Auberge du Vieux Vigneron brasserie in Corpeau, where he often entertains guests and pours his wines. That conviviality, together with multi-generational knowhow and meticulous cellarcraft, gives his bottlings both character and a genuine sense of place.