Will Arnold Aligoté 'Blanc d'Or' 2022

Will Arnold – the son of John Arnold who’s behind the brilliant UK merchant A&B Vintners – is using skills acquired over the past decade, as well as a palate honed on his father’s well-chosen imports, to make wines from diverse terroirs stretching from Beaujolais to the southern Rhône.

Will learned his craft in the vineyards and cellars of some big names, including Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey in Burgundy, Tamra Kelly-Washington in New Zealand, Doug Tunnell of Oregon’s Brick House, as well as Jean-Louis Chave in Hermitage. 

Taking a pragmatic, low-interventionist approach, Will fashions precise and immediately attractive wines from Gamay, Syrah, Aligoté, Marsanne, and Viognier. In 2022, these include a whole-bunch fermented Syrah from a 25-year-old vineyard tucked high up in the hills of the Ardèche; an Aligoté from two exposed parcels of 40-year-old wines in the Rhône village of Échalas; and a Gamay from pierre bleue soils around Bully in southern Beaujolais.

It is a rare joy these days to taste a delicious (and not to mention sensibly priced) new wine from a young vigneron who clearly understands what they’re doing. Rarer still when the entire range leaves us grinning. 

A neat, well-defined, and pretty Aligoté. Citrus and floral, with a touch of nutty richness and salivating bitters on the finish. Nicely rounded.