Aligote!
26 products
In the mid-20th century, there was an overcorrection in Burgundy; led by consultants like Guy Accad, vignerons were using chemical fertilizers, over-planting and trying to milk every last ounce of ripeness out of their grapes throughout the region. Any flaws in the grapes could be later masked with cold soaks, excess new oak and other maneuvers. But we went too far, and as the pendulum swung back to a place of sensibility, some of our favorite things have re-emerged.
Aligote never did love over-saturation; it seems to prefer the struggle of poor soils, of few clusters, of no irrigation; at its most complex it is so naturally textural - almost oily - with this succulence of citrus peel and salt that is at the very least inspiring and at its best bone-chilling. Led by producers with cult followings like Leroy, and later Charles Lachaux, Aligote underwent something of a second coming, but unlike those legends it is 99.9% of the time a terrific steal.
Sylvain Pataille may be known as the godfather of the grape: a wild-haired wizard who conjures magical things from his old-vine plots throughout oddball regions in Burgundy (Marsannay, Bouzeron, et cetera). His work has encouraged winemakers like Antoine Jobard, Jean-Marc Roulot and the duo at Chantereves to embrace Aligote's natural beauty, to the point that the grape is reaching revolutionary status...just at the low, low price of $50 and below (usually!).
