First day at my new job, I was kindly treated to a quick lunch across the street at l’Avant Comptoir, a very popular stand-up counter which focuses as much on conviviality as the delicious little snacks to nibble on.
l’Avant Comptoir
We started off with ham sliced on an antique manual meat slicer (which brought me back to my old job back at New York’s Italian Wine Merchants) and followed it up with a great veal carpaccio and a chunky tuna tataki, finishing our meal off with slices of Brebis cheese.
The wine list here has a focus on natural wines, with familiar names like Lapierre or even Champagne Jacques Lassaigne. I decided to go for a white however, and chose the featured Bourgogne Aligoté by the glass.
Alice et Olivier De Moor
As the guy behind the counter poured my wine, I realized that it was by Alice and Olivier De Moor, an estate located in Burgundy’s Auxerrois district. I’ve been meaning to try their Chablis for a while now, but the opportunity never came around. They are one of the rare producers that work with organic methods in this difficult climate and are starting to make a name for themselves among the natural wine crowd.
Bourgogne Aligoté
Impression (++)
The first glass was very much on rich notes of honeyed fruit and the wine had a very full body for an aligoté, mainly from the very mouth-coating minerality. It was not unlike Aubert de Villaine’s Bouzeron from the same grape in that regard.
After a second pour halfway through the meal however, the wine was completely different. I even wondered if there had not been a mistake, and I had accidentally gotten a Loire Chenin somehow, given the very different profile with loads of quince fruit. There was a subtle oxidation which became apparent, giving the wine great length and combining with the acidity to stretch across my palate and form a silly grin as I was brought back to my Jura roots.
Not sure why the two pours were so different though. Serving temperature? New bottle? There are so many factors that affect our appreciation of wine, it’s hard to be certain. What I am certain of is that this is simply the most exciting and original Aligoté I’ve had the pleasure to taste, and I definitely must try this estate’s Chablis next!