I opened a '14 Bruno Clavelier Bourgogne Aligote last night to go with Thai. Coming along nicely-I should have bought two cases rather than one. The phrase “nervous tension” comes to mind along with “chalky minerality” laying over lemon-y fruit.
2015 Francois Mikulski Bourgogne Aligote
Very fresh and crisp, perfect for the summer. Got all the stuffings and I like where this is heading to.
As usual we are highly limited through the LCBO as far as the availability of various producers concerns. A quick search revealed 2 producers. SAQ on the other hand has over 16 to offer. There is slightly more selection via the consignment program but you have to commit to purchase a whole case.
I missed this thread initially. I am drinking more Aligote lately. Have yet to hit my 14 Bachelets, but glad to hear the positivity above. Opened my second 2104 Roulot Aligote last night. It was quite nice.
Lafarge makes a great Aligoté! It also showcases how the pre-clonal Aligoté Doré can create serious wines opposed to Aligoté Vert which is a clonal selection for higher yields. Sylvain Pataille started bottling single parcels in 2013. I think we will be talking more and more about Aligoté in the coming years!!
There’s really D’Auvenay’s sous le chatelet and then everyone else and the gap is wider than in any other wine I know. Sadly, the price gap is equally wide.
Nolan is correct. We have approximately 250 Aligote vines at our estate in St. Helena, Napa Valley. The vines are only on their sixth leaf and are producing roughly one barrel a year at this point. As far as we know, we produce the only Aligote from Napa Valley. I have heard that there is a single row of it growing in Carneros at Lee Hudson’s vineyard and it was widely planted in this area prior to prohibition.
There is a group of Aligote producers in Burgundy called Les Aligoteurs. They had their first tasting this past April and we were delighted to be invited to join and pour our Napa version among the Burgundians. I believe the group has 20 something members at this point.
They tend to become more honeyed in terms of aromas and flavors, and more satiny on the palate, while retaining their incisiveness. Of course, some just die. ‘Tart fruit’ is a pretty catch-all way to describe the vast majority of Aligoté…
One new Aligoté producer from Bouzéron that should be on folks radars is Domaine Les Champs de Thémis. Already one of the best in the village (the competition is not overwhelming).
I did an experiment where I aged a bottle of 1996 Goisot Aligote that I had bought on release for under $10. Opened it at age 20. Wonderful wine. Your description is spot on.