Aligoté study: three wines compared
I’m really interested in Aligoté, and it seems that this once neglected grape variety is finding increasing support. There’s a producer club in Bourgogne called ‘Les Aligoteurs‘, and there’s an annual tasting, which began in April 2018. Here, I tasted three wines from online retailer Déjà Bu.
Déjà Bu’s owner, Lea Delacourcelle, has a small range of wines that she imports from Bourgogne, including these Aligotés. She’s an aligoteur. ‘I am a true Bourgogne Aligoté enthusiast!’ she says. ‘For me it’s indisputable: Aligoté is the future of Burgundy.’
‘Today, Bourgogne Aligoté can offer something Pinot Noir and Chardonnay can’t. Vibrant, modern, accessible, expressive of its terroir, resilient in the face of climate change, this grape variety shines toward a bright future.’
Domaine Chevrot Tilleul Bourgogne Aligoté 2017 France
12% alcohol. This is a selection of the best Aligoté they have, from a 55 year old plot that’s 0.35 ha plot. Organic farming. There’s some fine, subtle toast and vanilla here from barrel fermentation, with good acidity, and they mesh well with the lemony fruit. It’s fresh, with good acidity, some crystalline fruit notes, and a nice spicy flourish on the finish. Classy stuff showing that Aligoté can work with some barrel character if it has enough intensity. 92/100
Domaine Chevrot Cuvée des Quatre Terroirs Bourgogne Aligoté 2018 France
12% alcohol. From four parcels, two with gravel soils and two with sandstone, this is 50% Aligoté Dorée and 50% Aligoté Vert (two clones of the variety, the former older and lower yielding). In conversion to organic viticulture. This is really nice: it has a lovely texture and weight with a subtle saline thread in the mix, under the pear, apple and spice notes. This has some grainy detail and a lovely focus. A really good example of aligoté, showing purity and focus. 92/100
Château de Rougeon Arénites Bourgogne Aligoté 2018 France
12% alcohol. Organic farming. This is fruit-driven with nice texture, showing some citrus, honey, a touch of salinity and some apple and pear fruit. This is smooth and rounded, but there’s a nice fine spiciness and a touch of grainy structure. A lovely expression of Aligote with some of the generosity of fruit but also modest alcohol. Really textural. 90/100
Website: Déjà Bu Wines
