Domaine de Villaine

Bouzeron specialists who made Aligoté feel unmistakably Burgundian — plus razor-clean Chardonnay and Pinot from the Côte Chalonnaise.

snapshot

Region: Bouzeron and Rully, Burgundy — two villages, one clear obsession with place

Style: Bright, mineral whites with real mid-palate shape; reds that stay floral, savory, and structured — classic Burgundy energy, never glossy

Grape: Aligoté (including Aligoté Doré), Chardonnay, Pinot Noir

Farming: Organic farming culture with long-term focus on healthy soils and massal selection thinking — precision first, yields kept honest

Winemaking: Parcel-led vinification, gentle pressing, slow élevage with a strong preference for large-format oak (foudres) to keep definition over wood flavor

Signature: Aligoté that drinks like a serious village wine: chalk, citrus, salt, and quiet complexity — built for the table and the long game

 

“The chardonnay is not my reference. The aligoté is.”

PIERRE DE BENOIST
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  • Domaine de Villaine - Bouzeron 2014
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    Domaine de Villaine - Bouzeron 2014

    Domaine de Villaine - Bouzeron 2014
    €55,00 EUR

HOW THEY GOT HERE

The story begins when Aubert de Villaine and Pamela de Villaine chose to build something away from the spotlight of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. They settled in Bouzeron — a village with a reputation for unusually serious Aligoté — and quietly committed to it as a real terroir wine, not a side project.

From there, the domaine evolved from a small, village-rooted base into a broader Côte Chalonnaise story, expanding its palette while keeping the same philosophy: no shortcuts, no “recipe,” and no chasing fashion.

Since 2000, Pierre de Benoist has been at the helm, pushing the domaine deeper into precision farming, clearer parcel definition, and a style where Aligoté remains the reference point — not the understudy.

Where The Wine Is Born

Bouzeron is the rare Burgundy village where Aligoté isn’t relegated to flat ground. It’s planted up on slopes, where thinner limestone soils and exposure give the grape its natural home: tension, brightness, and that stony, mouthwatering edge.

Within the same village, the soil gradient matters. Higher, leaner ground naturally suits Aligoté; lower, clay-heavier pockets are better for Chardonnay and Pinot — and the wines reflect that shift in texture and weight without losing freshness.

Then there’s Rully: a different expression of the Côte Chalonnaise, where premier cru sites add detail and structure. In the domaine’s hands, Rully doesn’t become “bigger Burgundy” — it becomes more layered Burgundy, still driven by line and minerality.

BOUZERON

How the wine feels

Chalky Precision

Clean citrus, flint, and salt — straight to the point.

Textured Restraint

Mid-palate shape without oak sweetness or heaviness.

Quiet Complexity

Herbs, stone fruit, and subtle spice — more depth than volume.
Domaine de Villaine - Bouzeron 2014
Sold out

Domaine de Villaine - Bouzeron 2014

Domaine de Villaine - Bouzeron 2014
€55,00 EUR
FOR THE NERDS

This is a Côte Chalonnaise domaine built on Aligoté thinking. Bouzeron is the only village appellation dedicated to Aligoté, and the estate treats it like a first-class terroir grape: multiple parcels are vinified separately, with a strong preference for large-format oak (foudres) to preserve nuance while keeping oxidation in check.

The Aligoté material is largely Aligoté Doré, with very old vines in the mix, and the domaine has worked to preserve and propagate local identity through massal selection rather than relying purely on modern, yield-oriented clones.

The estate is also notable for long-running organic certification, and for a vineyard map that goes beyond Bouzeron: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Bouzeron under regional Côte Chalonnaise labeling, plus serious holdings in Rully (including premier cru Chardonnay and premier cru Pinot Noir), with smaller pieces elsewhere.

Winemaking stays deliberately non-showy: careful pressing, slow ferments, élevage that favors stability and definition over obvious barrel character, and a house style that reads as dry, mineral, structured, and age-capable—even for Aligoté.

“I use my experience from the aligoté for the chardonnay and the pinot noir.”