In the 1930s it was easier for Burgundians to sell Aligote than Chardonnay. As the years passed, the once-beloved Burgundy grape was sidelined, modern high-yielding clones led to lower-quality wines, and Chardonnay dominated the vineyards. However, not all Aligotes are made in the same way. With some very old vines in hand, from the flagship Aligote Doré, the stunning pre-leafy version of the variety, Sylvain Pataille bowed with enormous respect to Burgundy's third grape. Low yields, gentle pressings in an old vertical press, native yeasts, aging in large foudres and demi-muids for longer than his Chardonnays, combined with minimal sulfites at bottling, reveal the varietal's true potential. Energy and saltiness that even the best Chardonnays of the region would "dream of", but rarely can demonstrate, in a wine that literally "pulses" expressively in the glass.