Domaine de Villaine Rully 1er Cru Cloux Blanc 2023

Domaine de Villaine was founded in 1971 by Aubert and Pamela de Villaine in Bouzeron, at the northern end of the Côte Chalonnaise in Burgundy. The estate has farmed organically for decades and is known for whites that balance ripeness with tension. This Rully premier cru comes from Chardonnay grown on limestone and clay soils, a combination that gives the wine both flesh and a firm mineral backbone. The Côte Chalonnaise sits a little inland and warmer than the more famous slopes to the north, yielding wines that are approachable young while still holding good acidity. In the cellar the wine spends twelve months in oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange rounds the texture and the fruit resting on its lees gains breadth and a light creaminess. The 2023 is pale gold. The nose shows green apple, lemon and pear with white peach and a touch of almond and vanilla from the oak. The palate is medium bodied and balanced, its fruit fresh and its finish clean and stony. Serve at 11 to 13 degrees in a white wine glass.