2019 Bourgogne Aligoté

I used to taste the wines of this Prémeaux-Prissey-based producer at the London round of tastings and then, as sometimes happens, Ambroise fell off my radar. I must admit, I found the wines a little over-extracted, too heavy for my taste, lacking the crucial essence of Pinoté. Having been informed that under Bertrand Amboise’s son, François changes were afoot; it was an opportune moment to find out for myself. Bertrand Amboise started the estate with his father, principally buying in fruit, as they owned very little vineyard land. François joined his father in 2013 together with his sister Ludivine, who had joined eight years earlier. Although they retain the name Maison Ambroise, nowadays most of the cuvées come from their own organically cultivated vines, though they had to relinquish certification after the 2016 wiped out 90% of the crop and sprayed the surviving vines, after which they have recommenced the certification process. “Most of the work is focused in the vineyard rather than the winery,” François explained. “There are 55 different parcels spread over 20 different climats from Saint-Romain to Clos Vougeot, so the vineyard management is quite complicated. Many of the parcels are around 55-years-old. The vinification is classic with a cold maceration for the reds for a minimum of five days, the fermentation is started naturally. Usual cuvaison is 25-30 days to extract tannins and colour, the idea is to enact an infusion with careful temperature control. All the red cuvées are fully de-stemmed. Maturation is in a combination of regular pièces, 400-litre barrels and a small row of foudres to minimize the influence of wood. I use 50% new oak on the whites as the larger volume means that it is not so marked. The 2019 vintage was complicated in terms of picking. We started the harvest on 21 to 29 September. Alcohol levels are 13.5° to 14.5°.”

So have the wines changed since I last tasted? Well, yes and no. Speaking to François Ambroise, there is clearly a different approach to his father. Yet stylistically I must admit that I was hoping to discern more finesse and precision. That can partly be explained by the picking date, later than many other producers, attested by reds that had muscle and density but needed more tension and transparency. Also, some cuvées felt burdened by the higher than necessary levels of new oak, such as the Nuits Saint-Georges Vieilles Vignes and the En Rue de Chaux, or even that Bourgogne Rouge Cuvée Vieilles Vignes where despite the vine age, 50% new oak felt excessive. I came away thinking that I was seeing the beginning of a change, but I would like to see that translated in the actual wines.