Domaine Dandelion | Aligote 2022

• Region: Burgandy, France
• Grapes: Pinot Noir
• Organic: Yes
• Vegan: Yes
• Low Sulphur: Yes

Christian Knott and Morgane Seuillot of Domaine Dandelion have two hectares of old vines in a patchwork of small plots around the village of Meloisey near St Romain. Viticulture is organic with some biodynamics - Christian and Morgane spray raw milk on the vines instead of sulphur and eschew any machinery in the vineyards, preferring to employ their trusty horse. Once harvested by hand, the grapes are pressed in an old wooden screw press and aged in neutral oak under their house before bottling without filtration or sulphur.

The 2022 Aligote was picked from two parcels. One is a quarter-hectare 
parcel close to home, named "Vigne de Cret"  - planted to Aligote in the 
1940's. It offers good yields despite its age, the soils here are rich and 
soft, we think it used to be a veg patch. It balances very well with the 
Aligote picked from the "Goutte d'Or" vineyard.

"Goutte d'Or" is a steep half-hectare parcel that has some of the oldest 
vines, with just one third planted to Aligote in 1944 (the rest to Pinot 
Noir and Gamay) - the Aligote struggles here, on the hills that have very 
little top-soil - straight into the limestone - but it produces beautiful 
yellow, freckled berries. With not much accessible nitrogen, co-fermenting 
with the lively Vigne de Cret Aligote makes a great combination.

Fruit was basket pressed directly to old 500L barrels for 18 months ageing 
before bottling with no additions. All movements are by gravity, the vines 
as always worked by hand, and treated with plants for their health.

As usual from Christian and Morgane this is a wine of great purity, and you can expect superb fruit with a fine and elegant crisp bite to the finish.