“Burgundy’s rising white star.” – Wine Enthusiast

Who is that again? Say alley-GO-tay! Per Wine Anorak, it’s “a lesser-known variety from Bourgogne is suddenly hitting the big time, with a bright future ahead of it.”

And that future is NOW on Wine Spies.

Once again, we’re humbly reminded that one simply cannot know ALL there is to know about wine. This is 93 points good (for just $25?!) cause apparently it ain’t your daddy’s Aligoté. It represents a new wave of this variety taking over Burgundy, namely Aligoté Dorée. As in the “golden” kind, not the style that by law is the best variety for making Moutarde de Bourgogne. Which, by the way, is the queen of all Dijon-style mustards, no argument there.

Condiments aside, this is the main course. Dorée (or Doré) Aligoté takes this underdog variety down the finest roads often taken for Chardonnay, made into wines that are strikingly good, as good, if not better than its sibling. Wine Anorak in fact writes of an eye-opening historic truth: “Aligoté has a very old story in the Côtes de Beaune. Some of the reputation for white wines from Corton Charlemagne used to come from Aligoté, not Chardonnay.”

Well, this is not exactly Grand Cru good – shocker at that price – but will seriously give many an average negociant’s Meursault a run for the money. Opens up with a highly expressive nose that swings from the floral to the mineral in nuances, driven by a potpourri of citrus and green fruits. There’s a deft touch of lees stirring, adding serious concentration and creaminess to the mid palate. It’s also obvious that these grapes are next door to Chablis, with that piercing yet balanced acidity carrying on from the initial attack to the impressively long finish. With even the simplest of dishes, from pasta to a cheeseboard, this wine is made for enhancing many weekday feasts, a true chameleon white, best piled up by the case.

Back to Wine Anorak, “Olivier Morin is one of the star winegrowers in Chitry, an appellation next door to Chablis on the way to Auxerre. Soils here are very similar to Chablis (Kimmeridgean limestone).. Aligoté is a big focus. He works with Aligoté Dorée, the golden Aligoté, with smaller berries and a deeper colour when it is ripe.” adding that “Regular Aligoté is famed for its good yields, but it’s not so easy to ripen. Historically, Chitry is important for Aligoté, says Olivier. It’s the best place for the variety.”

Sleek, stylish, singular… wish there were a lot more so that we didn’t have to hide it in the Store!

93 Points – Wine Anorak “50-year-old vines, Aligoté Dorée. Concentrated and dense with sweet pear, cherry, and citrus fruit. Nice depth of flavour, showing stony mineral notes. Very expressive and fine with great precision.”