Montagny 2023 Domaine Aline Beauné

The Montagny 2023 from Domaine Aline Beauné is the village cuvée of the domaine, the one that embodies the heart and identity of a winemaker whose wines gain in precision and recognition with each vintage. Made exclusively from Chardonnay on the communes of the appellation, this village Montagny is vinified and aged with the same rigour as the Premiers Crus of the domaine, in absolute respect of the fruit and terroir. An ideal and convincing gateway into the world of Aline Beauné.

The Montagny appellation

Nestled at the southern tip of the Côte Chalonnaise in Saône-et-Loire, the Montagny appellation brings together four communes, Buxy, Montagny-lès-Buxy, Jully-lès-Buxy and Saint-Vallerin, recognised as AOC since 1936. It is the only village appellation in Burgundy to produce exclusively white wines, from Chardonnay alone. The hillsides, facing east and south-east between 250 and 400 metres altitude, rest on marly and clay-chalk soils from the Jurassic and Triassic periods, a substrate over 200 million years old. At Buxy, lower Triassic sandstone outcrops and comes into contact with the Kimmeridgian, the geological stage characteristic of Chablis wines, a rarity that explains the taut minerality and saline freshness found in the finest wines of the appellation. The monks of Cluny Abbey, great connoisseurs, had already favoured it particularly from the Middle Ages. With 49 Premiers Crus covering nearly 60 per cent of the vineyard, Montagny is an appellation generous in excellent terroirs, still too little known given the real quality of its wines.

Tasting profile

The colour is pale yellow and luminous, with the green tinges characteristic of young Burgundian Chardonnay. The nose is elegant and expressive, marked by aromas of white flowers, acacia and hawthorn, combined with notes of fresh white fruits such as peach, pear and apple, with a slight hint of almond and discreet minerality. On the palate, the wine is supple, fresh and harmonious, with a substance well balanced between the generosity of the fruit and the vivacity of the acidity. The finish is clean, fruity and lightly mineral, with that spicy aromatic return typical of Côte Chalonnaise Chardonnays. A frank, pure and sincere wine, both approachable in its youth and capable of ageing pleasantly over two to four years.

The domaine

Aline Beauné founded her domaine in 2018 in Montagny-lès-Buxy, after 13 years managing the vinification of a renowned domaine on the Côte de Beaune. When the cooperative cellar contract for the 5.5 hectares of family vineyards came to an end, she seized the opportunity to create her own domaine, with the ambition of producing wines of very high quality from the terroirs of Montagny and the Côte Chalonnaise. Committed to converting to organic farming, she has eliminated herbicides and chemical treatments, favouring meticulous work in the vineyard. In the cellar, the village Montagny cuvée is vinified and aged predominantly in stainless steel to best preserve the freshness and fruit typical of this Chardonnay terroir, with measured use of oak barrels.

Food and wine pairings

This village Montagny will pair beautifully with scallops Breton-style, herb-crusted sea bass fillet, leek and fresh goat cheese quiche, white asparagus with hollandaise sauce or mushroom risotto. It will also find fine harmony with hard pressed cheeses such as young Comté or Saint-Nectaire. Served between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius, it will be equally delightful as an aperitif with Burgundian gougères.