The Wine
The wine is dry with a pale golden color and has fruity aromatics leading to a more floral palette. Light, refreshing and fruit forward, its zestiness begs for food but it is a refreshing aperitif as well. Speaking of which, as an aperitif, mix it with a bit of "Cassis de Dijon” and you have the famous "Kir”, named for its inventor Chamoine Kir, the former deputy major of Dijon.
Best tasted once chilled slightly - to a temperature of ~55-60° F - easily obtained by removing from your 35° F refrigerator for a good 30-40 minutes before opening!
The Grape
The Bourgogne Aligoté is "the other white wine" from Burgundy. Relative to Chardonnay, the region's undisputed queen of white grapes, Aligoté is resistant to mildew and requires little or no spraying. It can, however, be too vigorous to produce a fine wine, so the grower will spend some time dropping fruit to achieve desired concentration of flavors and phenolic complexity. It is still a relatively obscure grape, but gaining in acreage due to its ability to produce fresher wines than Chardonnay, and as climate change alters growing conditions in Bourgogne, this is a key benefit.
The Region
Since 1937, Bourgogne Aligoté has been a designated AOC within Burgundy. But the Aligoté grape is used to produce white wines throughout Burgundy - notably, in the Côte d'or, Yonne and Saône et Loire. This particular Bourgogne Aligoté is grown in the area of Puligny-Montrachet. Fans of this obscure, cold-resistant grape can also find examples in wines from Eastern European countries.
Serving Suggestions
- Grilled fish, grilled poultry
- Oysters
- Raw vegetable crudite
- Salads
