Bourgogne-Aligoté

WINE TALK
21

Aligote’s its own thing. I don’t think I’d rather drink Bourgogne Blanc any more than I’d rather drink Cassis blanc. I like them all.

What I love about much Aligote is the seashell minerality combined with a grape fleshiness and snappy finish. It’s not usually complicated but it can last for years. And you can still drink it from some of the best cellars in Burgundy on a winemaker’s budget (this one’s anyway). I have Sauzet, Ramonet, Roulot and others in my cellar, and they are fantastic white wines.

Producer over vintage, and producer over variety. I’d be interested in pretty much anything from the top cellars. Aligote? Absolutely.

22

We were in burgundy last week and my girlfriend, who’s not a big wine drinker, having tried aligote at a few tasting stops for the first time, flat out asked one of the producers why they even made aligote and who’d ever drink it. The producer chuckled.

I’m not a terribly big fan either, though I thought Lafarge’s aligote was interesting.

23

That. They stand out as great white burgs, not just as aligote. Great value, too.

And then obviously there’s the d’Auvenays. But it’s priced like a Grand Cru burg.

The Domaine Leroy aligote is a relative disappointment.