By Charles B. Rubinstein
“In Bordeaux, they show, but they don’t drink it.
In Burgundy, we hide, but we drink.”
–Hubert de Montille (Retired Volnay vigneron and lawyer)
To say that Aligoté is the second white wine grape of Burgundy gives the impression that its plantings are a close second to that of chardonnay. That is far from the truth.
It’s at least eight to one in chardonnay’s favor. Finding Aligoté in wine shops and on restaurant wine lists was always difficult, but that has been changing somewhat in the last few years. There was a time before the scourge of phylloxera in the late 1800s that there was a lot of Aligoté grown in Burgundy, but when it came time to replant following the devastation caused by the phylloxera louse, the choice was chardonnay. Aligoté is a late ripening grape compared to chardonnay, which makes it less reliable to grow in a region at risk for rain.
Those vignerons (cultivators of vines) who persevered and replanted Aligoté suffered another blow when in 1937 the AOC (appellation d’origine controlee) Bourgogne Aligoté was created. It was a questionable honor because it limited the grape from being planted in the best sites, and relegated it to the tops of hills and the flat land on the wrong side of the main road in Burgundy. Because of the perseverance and talent of a small group of vignerons Aligoté survived and even flourished.
The wine’s acidity led to another dubious honor in the years following World War II. Cannon Felix Kir, a French Catholic priest, resistance fighter and politician was elected mayor of Dijon. He was in the habit of serving a local drink consisting of Aligoté and Crème de Cassis as an aperitif to visiting delegations. The Aligoté provided its high acidity. The drink is now known as Kir.
My first introduction to Aligoté was in the early 1980s in Burgundy. Aligoté is usually pale straw in color with a lemon or mineral bouquet that follows through on the palate. The acidity is noticeable. Most of the Aligoté I had there was AOC Bourgogne Aligoté, which meant that under the AOC the grapes could have come from anywhere in Burgundy.
Some of it was pretty bad, but there were bottles that were more than rewarding. They were truly memorable Burgundies. Invariably those had the appellation Bourgogne Aligoté de Bouzeron, an Aligoté from the small town of Bouzeron. The new appellation was granted in 1979. In 1997, the appellation was finally upgraded to AOC Bouzeron. Like other good Burgundies it no longer had to carry the name of the grape on the label. The AOC Bouzeron required that the grape be aligoté. The name of the town could stand alone on the label.
Both the 1979 and 1997 actions were due in large part to the work and advocacy of one vigneron, Aubert de Villaine. The name is undoubtedly familiar to anyone who loves wine. He is the owner of Domaine de la Romanée Conti whose five red wines and one white wine are the most famous and expensive wines in Burgundy.
In the early 1970s when de Villaine and his American wife Pamela were looking for a place to live, they chose Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise, a place away from the trappings of wealth and power where Aubert could be a vigneron. The vineyards were run down and he had to learn a lot about the terroir. Needless to say, he persevered. He and his wife produce a Domaine A. et P. Bouzeron that is among the best and perhaps the best Aligoté in France. It is made from the Aligoté Doré clone, the best clone of Aligoté.
By far the most unusual wine made from Aligoté is Domaine Ponsot Clos des Monts Luisants Vieilles Vignes Premier Cru. The vineyard lies above Clos de la Roche in Morey-Saint-Denis. Why the wine is allowed to carry its pedigree is a story for another time. It sells in the range from $90 to $130. I have never tasted it.
A week ago I was at the Tribeca Grill in New York City for dinner with a group of friends. The restaurant boasts a Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine list. I found not one but two Aligotés on the wine list. One was the 2010 Domaine A. et P. Bouzeron, and that was the one I ordered. Everybody in the group was impressed by the wine even though nobody was familiar with it. There is a fresh minerality all through the wine from the initial bouquet all the way through the palate and the finish.
If you have questions or comments about wine write to me at The Two River Times or email me at trtwineman@aol.com.
Pick of the Aligoté in Burgundy:
Highly Recommended
2011 Domaine Chevrot, Bourgogne Aligoté ($17)
2012 Alice & Olivier de Moor, Bourgogne Aligoté ($25)
2012 Domaine A&P Bouzeron ($30)
Recommended
2011 Domaine Guy Roulet, Bourgogne Aligoté ($21.95)
2011 Domaine Michel Lefarge, Bourgogne Aligoté ($22.97)
