A vertical of Domaine Chevrot’s Aligoté Tilleul with Pablo Chevrot
Website: https://www.chevrot.fr/
Pablo Chevrot (above) is the vice president of a group called Les Aligoteurs, focusing on the grape variety Aligoté, primarily in Bourgogne, but also elsewhere.
He works with his brother Vincent, and they are based in the Maranges appellation, with around 20 hectares of vines, and they are the third generation, joining in 2003 and 2007. The began working organically, and carry through their organic ethic through to the winery and the way they work.
They make two Aligotés, and Tilleul is their top one, from a single plot of 60 year old vines, ploughed by horse, with 0.6 hectares. The grapes are a golden colour at harvest, but this is not Aligoté Doré: it’s just that they harvest late. Doré has three or four small bunches on one shoot and they turn gold earlier. On regular Aligoté you have two bunches and they only turn gold at the end of maturation. Doree gives more expression of oiliness and volume on the mid palate, and the green carries more acidity, minerality and saltiness.
The vinification process has changed, moving away from oak. Aligoté is high acid and terroir responsive, and they don’t want to mute this signal with oak.
In Chouilly there is historically lots of Aligoté because of the soils for it, with sandstone that’s better for Aligote than Pinot and Chardonnay. And there’s also some gravel from alluvial deposits a long time ago. And even some granite.
Tilleul is gravels over sandstone ‘it is very interesting soil.’
It’s a plot planted by his grandfather in the beginning of the 1960s. In 1986 his father decided to age Aligoté in stainless steel and it wasn’t agreeable, but in 2003 Pablo had tasted some of the wines from the 1970s and it aged really well, and so he decided to go back to barrels, and started ploughing the plot with horse. They made the first new-era Aligoté.
In terms of the horse work on Tilleul, they began renting horses, but now they have two of their own. They are organic, and use high canopies in Tilleul, with the fruiting wire at 1.30 m, plus 20-30 cm of canopy. they can do this because they don’t use a tractor here.
They don’t do tressage because he thinks it is interesting for reds, but not so much for whites.
The big problem today with Chardonnay is degeneration genetically with age, says Pablo, but Aligoté ages much better as a vine, and 60-80 year old Aligoté vines produce well, which is not always the case with Chardonnay.
For the pressings, they work them keeping oxygen out for the first pressing (cuvée), and then the rest (the taille) they allow to oxidise in the press pan. This began with 2020. Then they blend for fermentation. 2021 was just in 1500 litre foudres, and they left it for one year with no sulfite additions. Then they racked into stainless steel for six months in order to go back to reduction and minerality. ‘The second winter in stainless is very interesting for me with Aligoté.’ He says this increases the ageing capacity of the wine. They just add sulphites before bottling.
Domaine Chevrot Bourgogne Aligoté Tilleul 2021
A tough year because of frosts, but this plot escaped (this is a surprise because often Aligoté is more sensitive to frost) and mildew (although Aligoté is less sensitive to mildew). Harvested in October, which is not common today. This is bright and stony, with keen acidity. There’s a lovely focus here with some white peach and lemon notes. There’s good density with lots of fruit, but also a brisk acidity and a nice long, tapering mineral finish, and a touch of salinity. This is quite lovely, and slightly old school with all that acid. 93/100
Domaine Chevrot Bourgogne Aligoté Tilleul 2020
This was a great vintage for white wines in Bourgogne. It was a warm year with a mid-September harvest (Chardonnay began harvest in August). There were some showers at the end of maturation which was great for the white wines. All foudre. This has depth and focus with bold pear and citrus fruit as well as some white peach. There’s even a bit of structure here with a slight saltiness on the finish. Lovely depth of fruit. 94/100
Domaine Chevrot Bourgogne Aligoté Tilleul 2019
There was a spring frost here but even though the buds were at cotton stage there was rain before the frost, and so they were more susceptible than normal (normally they can cope with -8). As a result yields were low for all the whites. There were also two heatwaves in June and July. Luckily there was rain before the June one and so the vines weren’t affected so much. This was fermented in 350 litre barrels, so there’s a bit of oak in the mix (none new). This has nice depth with a subtle toasty, spicy edge to the compact pear and peach fruit with a savoury, slightly cedar edge to the appealing fruit. Some pear skin here, with lovely detail. This is still bright and focused with nicely integrated acidity, finishing long with a touch of phenolic bitterness. 92/100
Domaine Chevrot Bourgogne Aligoté Tilleul 2018
A big production year, and the second hottest cycle they had after 2003. There were constant storms, almost every week, so it was a difficult year for managing mildew, but it turned out to be an interesting year for white wines. Some nuts and honey on the nose, as well as sweet pear and citrus fruit. The palate has apples, lemons, a touch of honey and also some savoury, grainy, mineral notes. There’s a bit of development here, but it’s still fresh and vital. 93/100
Domaine Chevrot Bourgogne Aligoté Tilleul 2017
Just a little frost. This was the last year of crushing the grapes hard before pressing. After 2018 they kept the crushing but did it more gently. There’s some colour here, with lots of flavour and quite a bit of structure. Fresh and lively, with nice acidity, and also some bitterness on the finish. Lovely saltiness here. A big wine with structure and acidity and the potential for development, but in a bit of a different style with more weight. 92/100
Domaine Chevrot Bourgogne Aligoté Tilleul 2015
This was a hot year, with June and July particularly hot after a regular start to the season. It finished normally. This was the last year that Pablo used new oak (18%), and it was 350 litre barrels. Bold and rich with good concentration and some spicy oak. Real depth of flavour here, but I’m not sure the new oak integrates so well this year. Toast, honey, nuts and some spice as well as peach and pear fruit. There’s a likeability to this wine but I’m not sure it works for Aligoté. 90/100
Domaine Chevrot Bourgogne Aligoté Des Quatre Terroirs 2022
This is an unoaked Aligoté. Three different types of sandstone, and some gravel. Very poor soils with no clay: not fertile, which is good for Aligoté which can be very productive (in heavy soils Pablo says it can have yields ‘in three numbers’). This is tight and focused, but it also has lovely depth of fruit. There’s a hint of sake and some rich pear and peach fruit, as well as a hint of hazelnut and nice lemony brightness. 50% Doree here which adds a few oily notes. Lovely fruit intensity here, with a wide dynamic range. Really impressive. 93/100
Domaine Chevrot Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Chardonnay 2022
Facing east at 250 m. Mainly blue marl (two-thirds) with some gravel (one-third). 5% new oak. Nice weight here: textured with sweet pear and peach fruit, and subtle toasty notes adding support. Nice weight and focus with a brightness to the fruit that carries the slight richness. Textural and appealing with nice balance, and some salty notes on the finish. 92/100
Domaine Chevrot Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Pinot Noir 2021
Low yields because of bad flowering, which was good because there wasn’t the weather to carry a bit crop. Half gravels, half marl, with a bit of Dolomite limestone. 20% whole bunch. Ferment and age without sulphites and with no new oak. This is supple and bright with nice sweet cherry and plum fruit. There’s a touch of stoniness here under the fruit, with some salty, slightly herby notes and also a bit of wild strawberry. There’s some structure, too. This has drinkability. 91/100
Domaine Chevrot Crémant Extra Brut Les Bulles de Paul 2021
Made from Pinot Noir in marl soils, made like a Champagne, with cuvée aged in stainless and the taille in barrels. Zesty and impactful with nice clarity to the flavour, showing bright, pure fruit, and just a hint of spicy complexity. Quite salty at the end. Impressive stuff, with lovely fruit intensity. 92/100
UK agent: Déjà Bu Wines
See also: Aligoté, a grape with a bright future
