Dear Friends,
Recently having attended the annual tasting of the Maison Leroy wines: Madame Lalou Bize Leroy is one of the most powerful and important negociants and vineyard owners in Burgundy. Her estate wines regularly sell for 2-3 times those of her peers and always sell out. Her family has been buying fruit and wine from small growers since the 1940s. The best of these are legendary wines which command Picasso-like prices. Madame Leroy has a fantastic palate and is an impeccable judge of a wine's aging potential. She never releases her negociant wines until she believes that they are ready to be drunk—or should I say, savored? Do I think that every Maison Leroy wine is a masterpiece? No. But when they are good they offer transcendent vinous experiences. As it turned out, the least expensive wine she offered was an Aligote from her own vineyard holdings. Aligote is a much maligned varietal which once held price of place along with Chardonnay in the Cote de Beaune. In fact, four of Burgundy's greatest wine makers offer superb Aligotes: Francois Coche-Dury, Jean-Marc Roulot, Laurent Ponsot and best of all, Madame Bize Leroy. One could not ask for a better endorsement for the potentiality of Aligote.
So what justifies a $59.95 price tag for the 2006 Domaine Leroy Aligote? The only thing that should ever matter to a prospective buyer: the quality of the wine. Served blind I would have said that this is easily a $75-80 white Burgundy and far better than most that I taste at that price point. Indeed Leroy’s Aligote simply outclassed the four Maison Leroy premier crus also at the tasting (1 Meursault, 2 Chassagnes and 1 Puligny)—at half their prices, I might add. This fantastic Aligote exhibited laser-beam citrus scented acidity, the lively palate feel of dry Riesling and a density usually found in Grand Cru Cote de Beaune whites. The intensity and focus of the wine –which if tasted blind would have been judged by anyone to be a Chardonnay—were dazzling. Imagine a cross between Chablis Les Clos and a first rate 1er Cru Puligny. This chewy, mouth coating wine will please the most demanding lover of truly dry white Burgundy. Drink
this Aligote with shellfish, stripped bass (wild of course, not the mushy farmed stuff), sole, halibut, arctic char and you will be a happy camper. Or steam up a couple of lobsters, melt some good French butter and enjoy this feast with Madame Leroy’s Aligote. For the cost of a decent dinner at a restaurant with a ho-hum bottle of wine you will be in gustatory heaven. Do not even think about buying just 1 bottle. Madame Leroy does not make much of this gem and you will definitely want to drink this more than once!
Domaine Leroy Aligote 2006 $59.95
Order will close by Friday, first come, first served. Wine will arrive in roughly 2 weeks.
Please reply with desired amounts and Mary will administrate your order. We ship throughout the country.
Bob Millman
ThoreauWineSociety.com
reply to: Mary@ThoreauWineSociety.com
