Rijckaert Bourgogne 'Bien Elevé' Aligote Vieilles Vignes 2024
- In stock, ready to ship
Press 4 White • May 2025 Direct Press Selection
Domaine Rijckaert was founded by Jean Rijckaert in 1998 in the Macon subregion of Burgundy, France. He simultaneously had an admiration for the wines of the Jura region and he leapt at the opportunity to purchase a small amount of vines near the village of Arbois in the late 90’s before Jura had hit the level of popularity it’s experiencing at the moment. To prevent any logistical issues Jean opened a second winery in the Jura. Both regions focus on organic and bio-diverse farming first and foremost and a light touch in the cellar secondly.
Around 2013 as Jean was looking to retire he started to transition the domaine to his talented assistant in the project, Fabian Rouve. Today Rouve continues the commitment to organics and minimal intervention in the cellar. The wines are made in the same way at both wineries with no stirring or battonage and aged 18 months minimum, only disturbing the lees when racking the wine for bottling with only the minimum sulfur addition. The aim of this winemaking is to maintain a fresh approachable style, and never tending towards the funky or oxidative styles that we sometimes find in the Jura.
This Aligote has been one of my favorite wines to come through our doors in the last six months and I’m very excited that we get to share it with our Direct Press members. Not only is it a screaming deal for Aligote of this caliber, it’s also treated with the care and respect that this grape rarely sees. Aligote for much of its history was treated as an inferior grape, for good reason, and banished to being the base of the original Kir cocktail. Now it is experiencing a renaissance of sorts and being vinified with the same adherence to quality as the king of white Burgundy grapes, Chardonnay.
Rijckaert’s Aligote from 65 year old vines on average is complex and refreshing with top notes of almonds, marzipan, spice, and stone fruit with the palate echoing the almonds and spice, weighty white stone fruits, medium plus acid, a bit of creme fraiche, a mineral backbone, and a decent length. Serve in place of traditional white Burgundies and no one will be the wiser. Jeremy Hernandez
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