Domaine Taupenot-Merme - Bourgogne Aligoté 2021 (750ml)

Aligoté has long been dismissed as Burgundy’s other white grape. No one thinks “Aligoté” when they hear “white Burgundy,” and that’s no coincidence. In 1937, the powers that be in France restricted Aligoté grown in the Côte d’Or to the generic Bourgogne Aligoté appellation, leaving more prestigious village designations for the region’s golden child, Chardonnay, and its red counterpart, Pinot Noir. As a result, Burgundian vignerons largely turned away from Aligoté, planting it solely in lesser vineyard sites with an emphasis on quantity over quality. That’s all started to change in recent years, however, as open-minded vignerons such as Romain Taupenot are breathing new life into this underdog grape variety. Romain’s family has been making wine in Burgundy since the 17th century, and he’s the 9th generation to take the helm of the estate. He takes a hands-off approach in the cellar, sometimes referring to himself as a “lazy winemaker.” Rather, he prefers to get his hands dirty worki