Love and Pif is Yann Durieux's Aligoté, and for many drinkers it is the first wine they try from his Recrue des Sens estate in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. The 2020 is a bright, saline white made with nothing added.
About This Wine
The fruit comes from Aligoté vines of 40 years and more planted on clay and limestone in the Hautes-Côtes, the cooler, higher ground above the famous Côte de Nuits villages. Farming is organic and biodynamic, yields are kept very low, and the grapes are hand-picked. Fermentation runs on native yeasts, the wine is raised on its lees without new oak, and it is bottled unfined, unfiltered and without added sulphur. Like all Durieux wines it is labelled Vin de France rather than under the local appellation.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Yellow plum, lemon zest and white flowers, with a hint of iodine and crushed stone.
- Palate: Lively and lightly textured, with stone fruit, lees depth and bright Aligoté acidity.
- Finish: Clean and salty, finishing on citrus peel.
Serving & Food
Serve cool rather than cold, around 11 to 12°C, in a medium white wine glass. Natural wines like this can show a little reduction on opening, so pour into a carafe for half an hour. Drink now and over the next few years with oysters, salt-and-pepper squid, or goat's cheese salad.
How to Enjoy
Drinkers curious about natural Burgundy, and anyone who thinks Aligoté is only for kir.
Product Details
Producer: Yann Durieux / Recrue des Sens
Country: France
Region: Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, Burgundy
Classification: Vin de France
Style: Dry white wine
Grape Variety: Aligoté
Vintage: 2020
Vine Age: 40+ years
Farming / Style: Biodynamic; native yeast, no added sulphur
Volume: 750mL
About the Domaine
Yann Durieux spent about ten years in the vineyards and cellar of Domaine Prieuré Roch before making his first vintage under his own name in 2010. He works with his partner Christela from a base in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, on old family vines his grandfather once tended, plus a few rented parcels.
His methods mirror what he learned at Prieuré Roch: whole bunches for the reds, native yeasts, no fining, no filtration and no sulphur. Rather than deal with appellation paperwork, he bottles everything as Vin de France and names each cuvée himself.