Sylvain Pataille - Bourgogne Aligoté | French White Wine

Sylvain Pataille is in every way nontraditional and unconventional. He grew up with wine around, though he was not directly involved until he was an adult—not the norm in a place like Burgundy. His training was only enhanced by his own bright mind and sense of detail in both the vineyard and the cellar. He is an advocate of the uncelebrated Aligote variety, prefers winemaking without a formula, and is one of the most secretly talented farmers and winemakers in all of Burgundy. The village of Marsannay is home to his vineyard holdings, a place that he personally has brought more notoriety. Pataille’s wines are small production, increasingly difficult to find, and just crazy value.

This Aligote is taken just as seriously as most higher end Burgundy. Vines are 50 years old and come from just two vineyard sites. Most of the ageing is done in older barrel while the rest goes into tank, a different approach for Burgundy Aligote.