# Alien (2023)

- **Producer:** Domaine Saint-Cyr
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Aligoté
- **Region:** Beaujolais, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €34
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** apple, lemon, blossom, toast, butter, smoke

## About this wine

Domaine Saint-Cyr was founded in 1963 in the southern Beaujolais region. When fourth-generation winemaker Raphaël Saint-Cyr took over the estate in 2008, he converted all 23 hectares to certified organic viticulture, making it one of the largest organic domains in Beaujolais. The cuvée Alien gets its name from being an unusual Aligoté white wine produced in Beaujolais, where Gamay dominates red production and Chardonnay accounts for nearly all white wines. Sourced from a tiny single-vineyard parcel of 90-year-old vines in Anse, this limited production cuvée stands as an intriguing outlier in the region.

## Interesting facts

- Aligoté is an unusual grape in Beaujolais, where Chardonnay represents almost all white wine production.
- The wine comes from 90-year-old vines, among the oldest holdings at Domaine Saint-Cyr.
- Only around 2,000 bottles of this rare cuvée are produced per vintage.
- Winemaker Raphaël Saint-Cyr converted the entire estate to organic farming after taking over in 2008.

## Food pairing

High natural acidity and vibrant saline minerality balance rich roasted poultry and fatty fish while cutting through creamy goat cheeses and accentuating fresh seafood.

## Wine making process

Harvested from 90-year-old Aligoté vines, whole clusters are directly pressed without settling. Spontaneous fermentation occurs with wild yeasts in neutral oak barrels ranging from 228 to 300 liters. The wine undergoes natural malolactic fermentation and is aged for 24 months on its full lees in old oak barrels under a protective, reductive environment. It is bottled without fining, filtration, or added sulfur dioxide.