2023 Aligoté Champ Forey Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Jean Fournier

• Style: Mineral-driven, pale golden Aligoté
• Taste: Jasmine, ripe pear, citrus with saline tension and length
• Food: Shellfish, white fish, oily fish, vegetarian dishes
• Occasion: Aperitif, Sunday lunch, date night
• Serve: Chilled; 12.5% ABV

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

A luminous white that opens with jasmine and ripe conference pear, moving into citrus before revealing the wine's defining character: saline minerality that cuts through with genuine tension and lingers on a long, salivating finish. This is what old-vine Aligoté delivers when the site and winemaker align—depth where sceptics expect sharpness, complexity in place of one-dimensionality.

The Winery — Domaine Jean Fournier

One of Marsannay's most respected producers, Domaine Jean Fournier has shaped the region's reputation for six decades under winemaker Laurent Fournier, who joined his father in 2001 and has championed the Aligoté grape with particular distinction. This cuvée comes from a 0.5-hectare parcel planted with 'Aligoté doré'—a rare pre-clonal strain—in 1921 and 1945, rooted in former riverbed scree that speaks directly into every glass. The 2023 vintage, cooler in spring and warm through late summer, was hand-picked mid-September, whole-bunch pressed, and fermented naturally in stainless steel before 12 months in used 600L barrels and a final four to six months in tank. Farmed organically since the early 2000s, the domaine's approach reflects Laurent's mission to prove that the right old vines and site transform what many merchants dismiss into something genuinely worth exploring.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Champ Forey is built for the table. Its saline minerality and length make it a natural with oysters, clams and steamed shellfish, while the balance and freshness pair beautifully with white fish, oily fish, and vegetarian dishes. Pour it as an aperitif, serve it chilled at 12.5% ABV, and reach for it on Sunday lunch, date night, or whenever you want a bottle that feels good to drink and to share. If Aligoté has only been a utility player in your wine life, this is your entry point to what the grape can deliver. It sits alongside our broader Burgundy selection as a reminder that France still holds surprises at every level—you may find yourself returning to Marsannay far more often than expected.