Established in 1951, Vitteaut-Alberti is a relatively young winery.
The winery is situated in Rully, south of Beaune in Burgundy, France. This area has been the heartland of Burgundy for sparkling wine ever since 1882.
They are devoted to producing sparkling wines in the “méthode traditionnelle,” literally the “traditional method.” This is the same method used to produce Champagne.
Gérard Vitteaut, the second-generation winemaker, was the youngest winemaker to be a part of the working group behind the creation of the Crémant de Bourgogne Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée or AOC for short.
An AOC is essentially a French winemaking region with established standards to ensure high quality and consistency in style.
Vitteaut-alberti Blanc de Blancs Crémant de Bourgogne Review
Each AOC which produces Crémant (sparkling wine made similarly to Champagne) in France has its own particular rules, which also designate what grapes are and are not allowed.
In the case of Burgundy, the white grape Alligote is allowed to be used. This particular blend is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Alligote.
The wine is produced from certified organic grapes and is aged for a minimum of 16 months in bottle before the wine comes into its own.
Blanc de Blancs, or “white of white [grapes],” wines such as this are made entirely from grapes with white skins.
Vitteaut-alberti Blanc de Blancs Crémant de Bourgogne Summary
- Brand: Vitteaut-Alberti
- Country: France
- Region: Rully, Burgundy
- Wine Type: Sparkling Wine
- Varietals: Chardonnay, Aligote
- ABV: 12.0%
Appearance
The wine is a brilliant pale gold hue in the glass, with incredibly fine, velvety bubbles swirling around. It is lively and bright and quickly catches your eye.
Smell
Apples, freshly baked croissants, and orange rind fill the nose immediately.
This is quickly followed by hints of roasted almonds and grapefruit. The aroma is remarkably fresh and fruit-forward while still maintaining a remarkable amount of complexity and depth.
Taste
As impressive as the nose is, the flavor of this bottle of bubbles is even more astounding.
Featuring fresh-cut red apples, tart lemon, and grapefruit upfront, the wine is fruity and approachable right out of the gate.
Secondary notes of biscotti, tree nuts, and vanilla cream round out the flavor profile before settling into a lingering minerality that sits on your tongue long after your last sip.
This is an incredibly balanced wine. Fruity but dry, minerally and rich, each part comes together to make a whole that is a sum of more than each note alone could hope to be.
What Does Vitteaut-alberti Blanc de Blancs Crémant de Bourgogne Pair With?
This works amazingly well on its own as an aperitif, and it almost feels like a sin to muddle the flavor of the wine with food. That is until you actually try it.
This wine will blow your mind when paired with gruyere or gouda cheese, as their richly earthy and nutty tones really help bring out the secondary notes of the wine.
Additionally, while a lot of people like to do niçoise salad with red wines, I think this is an excellent bottle to pair with it.
The bubbles help keep the salad nice and fresh and cleanse the palate of any lingering tuna flavor with each sip.
All of this while uplifting the lightly earthy tones of the salad? Trust me when I say that you will be absolutely in love!
What Wines Are Similar to Vitteaut-alberti Blanc de Blancs Crémant de Bourgogne?
I would strongly recommend playing with other sparkling wines from Burgundy. I am especially partial to Louis Bouillot Blanc de Blancs.
Though it is a bit of a yeastier, toastier style, it is very similar. If you want to splurge for Champagne in this vein, I strongly recommend Mailly, Chanoine Blanc de Blancs, and Veuve Clicquot.
As always, do yourself the favor of trying other wines from this producer. Since they all come from the same 22-hectare vineyard, they have a similar sense of terroir, and the secondary notes will feel familiar to you after trying this offering.
Final Thoughts
A bottle that tastes like Champagne for a fraction of the price.
Honestly, I cannot believe that I have been in the wine industry for years and have never had the pleasure of trying it before. Do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle if you can get your hands on one!