{"id":5291,"date":"2019-02-27T23:00:44","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T05:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/?p=5291"},"modified":"2020-02-12T08:51:34","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T14:51:34","slug":"give-love-burgundy-aligote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecorkscrewconcierge.com\/2019\/02\/give-love-burgundy-aligote\/","title":{"rendered":"Time to Give Some Love to Burgundy\u2019s Aligot\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Yes we love our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but there IS another wine grape grown in Burgundy. And it needs love too. In a region where Chardonnay reigns supreme, it takes a great deal of dedication and passion to make Aligot\u00e9 today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Having been around since the 17th century, Aligot\u00e9 was once considered the premier wine of Burgundy. And though it is related to Chardonnay, it now plays second fiddle to the its more famous relative.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span> While generally associated with Burgundy, Aligot\u00e9 is produced in other countries around the world. In 1937, it was granted its own AOC – Bourgogne Aligot\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aligot\u00e9 wines are fresh, expressive, green (fruit and herbs) and mineral driven, with citrus and floral characteristics. Made to be drunk young, with a few being able to go 3-5 years, these wines come at fantastic price points as many can be had at less than $20. Talk about a great option for white Burgundy! Known as a traditional ingredient for the Kir cocktail which is a Burgundy specialty of white wine mixed with creme de cassis, Aligot\u00e9 also deserves to stand alone. It is great as an aperitif and also plays well with Asian and Indian cuisine. It\u2019s lighter profile means it can also partner with salads and steamed vegetables as well as with oysters and simply grilled fish. I mean really, what is there not to love?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And people are beginning to take notice. In the last six months or so when I\u2019ve been sitting at a bar waxing poetic (OK, shootin\u2019 the shit) with a somm, and ask them for a white wine they\u2019re excited about, several have poured me a glass of Aligot\u00e9. Ahh yes, we\u2019re on to something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These days, people don\u2019t generally think of terroir when Aligot\u00e9 comes to mind, but this couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. These wines can be elegant, aromatic, and terroir driven<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> just as they were before the phylloxera epidemic. For about fifty years or so plantings of the grape decreased but the last ten years or so have seen an uptick in plantings. Of course, it will never overtake Chardonnay as THE white wine of the region, and it’s not meant to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aligot\u00e9 gets the most love in Bouzeron. Bouzeron is the only appellation Village in the C\u00f4te Chalonnaise to be made exclusively from the Aligot\u00e9 Grape. Here, Aligot\u00e9 gets the prime spots on the slope while Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at relegated to the \u201clesser\u201d positions. With varied limestone soils, altitude, and hillside aspect, there is great diversity of expression in the wines of the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vineyards in Bouzeron, Courtesy of Bourgogne-Wines.com<\/i><\/b><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I recently had the opportunity to try a few Aligot\u00e9 wines and was amazed at the variability in the wines. I could seriously envision myself rocking on the front porch (#DontHate! – I\u2019m embracing the \u2018mature\u2019 Corkscrew Concierge) or a floatie in the pool with some of these. Others, a light summer meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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