Domaine Michel Lafarge, Bourgogne Aligote Raisins Dores, 2023

Man with golden grapes. Domaine Michel Lafarge is one of Volnay's most iconic estates — biodynamic for decades, run today by Frédéric Lafarge and his daughter Clothilde — and this Aligoté Doré is one of the most singular wines they make. Aligoté Doré is an old clonal selection of Aligoté, the golden-berry variant — the vine itself produces small clusters of golden-hued grapes with a richness and complexity that standard Aligoté cannot match. Lafarge's vines are over 80 years old. These are among the rarest and oldest Aligoté plantings in Burgundy. The wine they produce is not the sharp, neutral Aligoté of kir fame — it is something deeper and more serious, with the texture and minerality to sit comfortably alongside village Bourgogne whites from far more celebrated varieties. There is nothing else quite like it. If you want to understand what Aligoté can be in the hands of a great producer and on the right old vines, this is your bottle.