Brett happens

Founded in 1529, Domaine Jean-Jacques Girard is one of the oldest estates in Savigny. It has 18 hectares of vines in the communes of Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses, Aloxe-Corton, Volnay, Pommard and Beaune.

Bourgogne Aligoté 2014, Jean-Jacques Girard ($26.00, private import, 12 bottles/case)
100% Aligoté from three parcels in the Hautes-Côtes. Mechanically harvested. Fermented and matured (for around 10 months) in foudres. Residual sugar: <0.5 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Mon Caviste.
Appealing nose of white fruit, herbs and minerals. Smooth and not particularly fruity in the mouth, with sleek acidity, a strong mineral component and a sourish finish. A penetrating Aligoté that doesn’t give itself airs – just the way I like ‘em. (Buy again? Gladly.)

Pernand-Vergelesses 2012, Les Belles Filles, Jean-Jacques Girard ($46.00, private import, 6 bottles/case)
100% Chardonnay from the Les Belles Filles lieu-dit; the site is quite steep and the soil is very chalky clay. Manually and mechanically harvested. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in 50-hectolitre vats, after which the wine spends 10 months in 228-litre oak barrels (15% new) for malolactic fermentation and maturation, with weekly stirring of the lees until March of the year following harvest. The wine is lightly sulphured and bottled in July and August. Residual sugar: <0.5%. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Mon Caviste.
Outgoing nose of tropical fruit and peach against a mineral background. The rich, faintly buttery texture is counterbalanced by great acidity, while the clean fruit sits on a chalky substrate and slow-fades through a surprisingly savoury finish. Beautiful though light years removed from, say, a flinty Chablis. (Buy again? Yes.)

MWG November 10, 2016, tasting: flight 7 of 9