Description
About Domaine Stéphane Aladame in Montagny, France
As Burgundy enthusiasts expand their palates, the top growers of the Côte Chalonnaise are finally receiving the acclaim their wines deserve. It’s not that the region’s luminaries are seeking more business—securing an allocation from Vincent Dureuil is as challenging as pulling Excalibur from the stone. Stéphane Aladame, Montagny’s premier grower, struggles to satisfy his domestic clientele, making it difficult to supply new export markets. With an outstanding reputation among France’s top restaurant buyers, Stéphane has recently closed his books to new markets and retail clients. Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t secure the quantity of wine we desired from him. We hope for better luck with the higher-yielding 2022 vintage.
Montagny’s acclaim in fine wine circles stems from its ability to produce wines reminiscent of Chablis. Jasper Morris MW notes that Montagny is “quite unlike the other whites of the Côte Chalonnaise, with a lively, fresh aspect that approaches the marine character of Chablis, though without the oyster shell soils.” Stéphane describes the style as closer to Chablis than the Côte d’Or, partly due to the high limestone content—from the Liassic and Triassic periods predating the Jurassic soils of the Côte d’Or—and the shallow nature of Montagny’s soils, allowing vine roots to quickly tap into the fossil-rich rock.
Given the rocky terroirs, Stéphane uses neutral 350-litre barrels, complemented by stainless steel for his racier and younger-vine cuvées. There is no new oak in the cellar, and the wines are made without any additions other than a touch of sulfur, none exceeding 25 mg/L. Stéphane’s wines transcend typical regional stereotypes, offering subtle, elegant, top-tier Chalonnaise expressions with a hallmark of quality. Moreover, while much of Burgundy grapples with value, the pricing here remains as refreshing as the wines themselves.
“[The wines] are models of finesse and freshness, of good aging and offered at reasonable prices. This domain is very present on the best French gastronomic tables and exports only half of its production.” La Revue du Vin de France
“Stéphane Aladame deserves his reputation as one of the leading producers in Montagny, making Chardonnays of real character and balance.” Decanter Magazine
