Burgundy’s Third Eye
Oh, why do we vibe this way? Hey, must be Aligoté!
Known as the “third” grape variety of the Burgundy appellation, Aligoté has long surrendered the spotlight to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Despite it being an early ripening variety that is relatively frost resistant, Aligoté has found itself in less-rated sites, on plateaus, and in valleys, cast away from the more expensive land reserved for its more prestigious counterparts. For a fuller picture, roughly 98% of red grapes in the Côte d’Or are Pinot Noir and 80% of white are Chardonnay.
Even so, Aligoté has been part of the Burgundian wine world for more than 200 years, recognized and widely used in Burgundy since the 17th century. Particularly curious is the lineage of Aligoté’s parental varieties. Gouais Blanc is a grape variety not well known for its wines, but for its genes, as it is thought to be the parent of around 80 different European grape varieties, often alongside Pinot Noir and Savagnin, including Chardonnay, Riesling, Gamay, Blaufränkisch, and Furmint.
Aligoté is directly related to an original Pinot Noir prototype as well as to Gouais Blanc, a variety very much deserving of its nickname as the “Casanova of Grapes”. Due to its thin skins, high acidity, and low sugar levels, Gouais Blanc is considered less useful viticulturally, resulting in wines that tend to be simple in character and its eventual downfall in France. By the turn of the 20th century, there were almost no plantings of it. Today, most of its remaining plantings can be found in Switzerland, Slovenia, and Australia, with the first plantings in the Western Hemisphere by Björnson Vineyard at Pamar Vineyard within the Van Duzer Corridor AVA in Oregon.
With that in mind, Aligoté is not as fussy as other varieties are when it comes to growing conditions. It produces delicate wines when grown on Burgundy’s chalky soils, while also able to thrive in sandier soils of the Rhône Valley. Despite its hardiness and reliability in the vineyard, Aligoté is frequently passed over in favor for the perceived glamour of challenging grape varieties like Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo — both difficult to grow but more rewarding as a result.
The matter was certainly not helped in 1937 when authorities established the Bourgogne-Aligoté AOC appellation for Burgundy wines made exclusively from the Aligoté variety. Because Aligoté is named1 by varietal and not a village or region, it sends this subconscious cultural message that drinking Aligoté is about the grape, not place, feeding an underlying sentiment that it cannot transmit terroir. In essence2, they banished the use of Aligoté in nearly every other appellation, all in favor of Chardonnay — a dismissiveness further underscored by the allowance of excessive permitted yields that bring forth an unsettling acidity. For context, this could be up to 72 hectoliters per hectare (~780 cases), compared to 68 hectoliters per hectare (~737 cases) stipulated for Bourgogne Blanc.
Thanks to Aligoté’s historic presence in the Côte Chalonnaise dating to the 18th century, Bouzeron is the only local village based on the grape, a devotion earning an official appellation in 1979 as Bourgogne Aligoté de Bouzeron. It wasn’t until 1998 that this was upgraded to Bouzeron AOC — its own delimited, Aligoté-specific appellation with a maximum permitted yield of 45 hectoliters per hectare (~487 cases), largely due to winemaker Aubert de Villaine’s advocacy over the years.
Additionally, Aligoté has been often relegated as a cocktail ingredient in a vin blanc cassis or Kir, a drink that combines this dry white wine with the local blackcurrant liqueur called crème de cassis. The libation is named after Félix Kir, the legendary priest and hero of the French resistance who had aided more than 4,000 prisoners of war to escape from a nearby Nazi camp during World War II. In fact, some have recounted Kir defiantly devising his namesake cocktail when Nazis confiscated Burgundy’s iconic red wines: he combined the available dry Aligoté with blackcurrant liqueur to mimic the color of Bourgogne Rouge, declaring it the official beverage of Dijon’s city hall.
With this all stacked against Aligoté, there exist the noble defenders who champion this humble variety. As a beloved American wine importer in Burgundy, the late Becky Wasserman had certainly drank her fair share of grand cru Burgundies, but what she adored3 were the more modest regional and village wines, especially from those appellations that she felt were unloved or underappreciated — Aligoté very much included. She loved4 blinding people on Aligoté wines, especially old bottlings, for which the guesses were frequently Grand or Premier Cru sites of Burgundy, to which she would retort, Nope, it’s Aligoté! Incidentally, winemaker Pierre Morey dedicated to Becky a wine featuring her favorite grape. Cuvée Becky Aligoté is made from his estate’s plantings from 1937, serendipitously Becky’s birth year, and blended with vines planted in 1938 and 1969.
In the same vein, Aligoté brings back an important tradition5 swept away during the last century — that is, the postwar years when Burgundy, like much of France, was trying to rebuild itself. Winemaker Benoît Ente’s grandfather had recounted finding Aligoté on the hills in the Premier Crus because it produced well, resulting in what they drank in those days. This fondness for Aligoté is perpetuated in present day by young winemakers in Burgundy’s top villages, who have acknowledged many of their friends can’t afford the region’s fancier wines.
Global warming has also enabled Aligoté to ripen enough to reveal6 unexpected charms. This, along with a budding enthusiasm among a contingent of Aligoté vignerons, has prompted the creation of Les Aligoteurs, a group comprising nearly fifty domaines, which holds annual tastings and promotes the variety’s good name by expanding its acceptance, understanding, and consumption. Part of Les Aligoteurs, Marsannay winemaker Sylvain Pataille remains a faithful devotee through a parcellaire approach, making Bourgogne-Aligoté from various vineyards, all atypically aged longer than his Chardonnay. This committed approach has demonstrated that Aligoté can reflect differences in terroir as much as Chardonnay can, especially within the multifaceted soils of Burgundy.
Winemaker Pierre de Benoist of Domaine de Villaine insists7 on the importance of Aligoté Doré, an ancient clone which ripens more satisfactorily than the more common Aligoté Vert, resulting in wines with greater aromatics, texture, and depth. This rare clone is characterized by medium-sized, loosely packed bunches with larger leaves, helping protect the grapes from excessive sunlight, while potentially blocking free circulation of air, which can pose a risk for rot-related problems if not tended to properly.
The old massale selection of Aligoté Doré is found in Bouzeron and a few other spots, which has seldom been propagated by nurseries and remains scarce, a variety for which Domaine de Villaine has set up a conservancy to preserve. Replanted shortly after the phylloxera devastation, the vines at this domaine are especially important given the extremely old age of the vines, with an average age of 65 years and the oldest clocking at 115 years in age.
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THE CONCEPT
Aligoté always makes me think of two songs from the early aughts: “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” by Jay-Z and “Ride wit Me” by Nelly. Every time I enjoy some Aligoté, their verses take hold as earworms, my head bobbing to their catchy hip-hop tempos. I was determined to incorporate them when I had the idea to arrange this Aligoté-focused tasting.
I was reminded of the “Parental Advisory” / “Explicit Content” warnings placed on album corners, The Blueprint and Country Grammar included. What could be considered “explicit” in the realm of Aligoté? Acidity, of course! That was my “in” — tying the genres of hip-hop and rap with Aligoté’s story. Naturally, a cheeky changeup in the lyrics called to me:
H to the izz-O, V to the izz-AAlig to the izz-O, T to the izz-É
That’s the anthem get’cha damn hands up
That’s Bouzeron, get’cha damn hands up
and
Oh, why must I feel this way?(Hey, must be the money)Oh, why la Côte Chalonnaise? (Hey, must be the Doré)
So I cooked up the above image to capture the energy and intended ethos for this tasting of Aligoté. For the pièce de résistance, “Parental Advisory” was replaced with Burgundy’s Third Eye. A third eye is an invisible eye that is thought to provide perception beyond normal sight and considered to be a representation of mystical intuition and insight. Sylvain Pataille has shared8 the issue isn’t that Aligoté is inferior so much as it has never received the right attention. Not too different from an invisible eye, eh?
In the way librettist Lin-Manuel Miranda likened Alexander Hamilton to the genre, could Aligoté serve as the embodiment of hip-hop for Burgundy? After all, rapper Jay-Z has an inspiring origin story that reflects his rise from humble beginnings to a hip-hop, multi-hyphenate icon. Growing up at a public housing project in Brooklyn, Jay-Z faced a challenging environment marked by poverty and crime, with his early life heavily influenced by the struggles of his community. He turned to music as an outlet, shaped by the burgeoning hip-hop scene in the late 70s and early 80s.
Jay-Z started rapping in his teens, performing at local clubs and gradually gaining recognition. In 1996, he released his first album, Reasonable Doubt, which showcased his lyrical prowess and storytelling ability. The album was critically acclaimed and laid the foundation for his career. Since then, he has become one of the most successful artists in the industry with multiple chart-topping albums and a diverse array of business ventures — a testament to his talent, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Similar to those French growers in postwar Burgundy looking to Aligoté for its ability to persevere in trying times, Jay-Z has had a profound influence on many hip-hop and rap artists across generations, including Kendrick Lamar, Drake, J. Cole, Nas, Lil Wayne, Travis Scott, Rihanna, and Big Sean — much like the new consortium of young winemakers breathing new life into this bygone grape in Burgundy.
Much like Jay-Z’s early days, rapper Nelly started rapping at a young age in St. Louis, taking cues from the growing hip-hop culture around him. His breakthrough came during 2000 in the form of Country Grammar, Nelly’s debut album which introduced his signature style — a catchy blend of Southern rap with mainstream appeal.
His infusion of the St. Louis sound to modern hip-hop along with blending rap with R&B hooks and even elements of country music made Nelly stand out in an era when hip-hop was heavily dominated by East Coast and West Coast artists. Consequently, hip-hop went through a significant evolution9 during this time that saw the genre expand past the confines of the two Coasts and into other regions such as the Midwest and the South. This aligns with the resolve of Les Aligoteurs as well as emergence of the Aligoté variety in regions not only outside of Burgundy but of France as well.
With all that in mind, I selected sixteen Aligoté wines for the Burgundy’s Third Eye tasting in honor of Jay-Z’s lucky number of 4, a recurring motif in his life, lyrics, and personal branding. The number 16 is a perfect square — a number that can be expressed as the product of an integer multiplied by itself. To complement this element, I grouped the wines into four sets of four:
4 × 🤍 Bourgogne-Aligoté Blanc wines made from Aligoté Vert
4 × 💛 Bourgogne-Aligoté Blanc wines made from Aligoté Doré
4 × 🧡 Aligoté skin-contact wines from Burgundy
4 × 🤍 Aligoté Blanc wines from the West Coast
There are other interesting tie-ins to boot. In a traditional tarot deck, the sixteenth card is The Tower. Often associated with sudden change, upheaval, and destruction, The Tower invites an opportunity for personal transformation, rebuilding after a crisis, and enlightenment through hardship. Another follows an important element in vinification — sulfur has the atomic number 16 in the periodic table. For the wines selected, their producers embrace low intervention winemaking, with minimal to no added sulfur at bottling. Lastly, within the world of hip-hop, “16 bars” is the standard length of a verse in many rap songs, its specific significance as the measure of lyrical creativity and skill — something innate to both Jay-Z and Nelly.
THE ANATOMY (OF A WINEUP)
While the 4x4 groupings made sense in composing selections, the flavor profiles of each wine would almost certainly call for distinct consideration of tasting order. I thought long and hard about this, remembering how this tasting came about in the first place: the catchy lyrics to two hip-hop songs. I decided to align the progression of the tasting against basic song structure. This helped break up the many Aligoté wines on the docket as well as tell a more cohesive story of Aligoté: where it came from (origin), where it’s been (experience), and where it can go (potential).
INTRO / PRELUDE
(i) Étienne Calsac NV Champagne ‘L’Échappée Belle’ Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
(ii) Björnson 2023 Gouais Blanc ‘Pamar Vineyard’
VERSE I
(1) Clément Lavallée 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Pariot’
(2) Pierre Morey 2021 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Cuvée Becky’
VERSE II
(3) Ovum 2022 Aligoté Elkton
(4) Jolie-Laide 2023 Aligoté ‘Las Cimas Vineyard’ Russian River Valley
(5) Walter Scott 2021 Aligoté ‘X Saxa Vineyard’ Eola-Amity Hills
(6) Young Inglewood / VENN 2021 Aligoté St. Helena
VERSE III
(7) Michel Lafarge 2021 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Raisins Dorés’
(8) Domaine de Villaine 2021 Bouzeron
(9) Chanterêves 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Les Chagniots’
(10) Sylvain Pataille 2020 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Clos du Roy’
HOOK
(11) Benoît Ente 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Antichtone’
(12) Les Horées 2021 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘En Coulezain’
BRIDGE
(13) Domaine de la Soufrandière 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Aligato Cuvée Zen’
(14) Château de Béru / Athénaïs 2021 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Macération’
(15) Claire Naudin 2021 Vin de France ‘Le Clou 34’
(16) Domaine de Cassiopée 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘En Gerlieus’
OUTRO / CODA
(iii) Brasserie des Voirons 2022 ‘Bière Vivante d’Aligoté’
(iv) Jacoulot NV Crème de Cassis ‘Tradition’
(v) Current Cassis NV Blackcurrant Liqueur
(vi) Current Cassis NV Barrel-Aged Blackcurrant Liqueur
A prelude of Champagne toasts and parental heritage transition into a baseline verse followed by one of American expressions and another of Doré’s golden hour. The hook upends any preconceptions of Aligoté, showcasing (1) how prized land in the Côte d’Or can eke Aligoté that can rival some of the best Burgundian Chardonnay out there and (2) how skin contact opens a totally new realm of texture, flavor, and beauty to Aligoté. We then arrive at a banger of a bridge, featuring some of the most stunning new expressions of this beloved variety. To wrap up, the outro demonstrates Aligoté's influence on the beverage arenas of cocktails and beer.
THE CARTOGRAPHY NOTES
Burgundy’s Third Eye traveled through all the varied appellations of Burgundy (i.e., Chablis to Beaujolais); a stopover to Savoie; through some AVAs of Oregon and California in the West Coast (i.e., Willamette Valley to Central Coast); and to Dutchess County in New York. Aligoté was the name of the game, bookended with a magnum of Blanc de Blancs Champagne to kick things off as well as an assortment of blackcurrant liqueurs (Crème de Cassis from Beaujolais and ones made in upstate New York) for Kir cocktails. Also included for curious measure: Gouais Blanc from Oregon as an ancestral benchmark; and a Savoie blonde ale macerated on Aligoté lees from Côte de Nuits.
🍇🍷 Burgundy’s Third Eye feat. ALIG.O.T.É. 🥉👁️
BURGUNDY
CHABLIS
🤍 Clément Lavallée 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Pariot’ (Saint-Bris)
Clément Lavallée is part of a new generation of winemakers that are exploring the vast potential that still lies undiscovered throughout Burgundy, with a little over 5 hectares in Chablis, Côte d’Auxerre, and Saint-Bris.
🧡 Château de Béru / Athénaïs 2021 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Macération’ (Saint-Bris)
The Béru family has invested considerable means to improve the production quality and give a fresh start to the domain since 2004, covering a total of 8 hectares — all located in the Béru area, which give mineral and iodized notes typical of the village wines.
CÔTE DE NUITS
💛 Sylvain Pataille 2020 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Clos du Roy (Marsannay)
With 15 hectares as part of his estate, Sylvain Pataille has discovered the potential of Aligoté in Marsannay, resulting in his commitment to making four single-vineyard bottlings — a decision that would normally be considered unthinkable coming from anyone else in Burgundy, especially given that he also ages them longer than his Chardonnay.
CÔTE DE BEAUNE
🤍 Pierre Morey 2021 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Cuvée Becky’ (Meursault)
The Morey family’s origins can be traced back to the sixteenth century in Burgundy and since 1793 in Meursault, with Pierre Morey as one of the first growers in the region to fully embrace biodynamic farming, converting both Domaine Leflaive and his own domaine and reaching full certification by 1997.
🤍 Benoît Ente 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Antichtone’ (Puligny-Montrachet)
Benoît Ente is known for a seductively mineral, finely texture expression of Puligny-Montrachet. From the 2004 vintage and onward, he adopted a more understated style, focusing on the crystalline purity, precision, and chiseled form. A large percentage of his wines age in large foudres, with grapes picked early to ensure vital acidity and pressed as uncrushed whole bunches.
💛 Michel Lafarge 2021 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Raisins Dorés’ (Volnay)
The Lafarge family has been making wine in Volnay since before the French Revolution. They use only sélection massale cuttings for replanting as well as very minimal new oak for aging, allowing the wine to essentially “make itself”. Fruit is picked at ideal ripeness, de-stemmed, given a long, cool fermentation with native yeasts, and gently handled at extraction and movement to preserve quintessential Volnay delicacy.
🧡 Les Horées 2021 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘En Coulezain’ (Pommard/Volnay)
Catharina Sadde jumped at the opportunity to buy a parcel from Prévolles in Beaune and continued to buy several parcels in Volnay and Pommard, launching Domaine Les Horées in 2019. The name Les Horées is derived from Greek mythology, marking the change in seasons. Everything is done manually, with care, horse plowing following the biodynamic principles. She gives free rein to her intuition and her perceptions, while her work in both the vineyard and cellar is approached with minimalist precision.
HAUTES-CÔTES
💛 Chanterêves 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Chagniots’ (Corgoloin / Ladoix-Serrigny)
Chanterêves is a husband-and-wife team launched in 2010 by oenologists Tomoko Kuriyama and Guillaume Bott as négociant-vinificateur, meaning that they buy grapes from winegrowers and vinify their own wines, all of which are organically certified and made using only older barrels to produce wines of eminent purity, balance, and transparency. As Steen Ôhman has written, their wines are made with a German precision, a Japanese attention to detail, and a French knowledge of the terroir.
🧡 Claire Naudin 2021 Vin de France ‘Le Clou 34’ (Magny-lès-Villers)
Claire Naudin officially took the Domaine Naudin-Ferrand in 1994 and quickly shaped it to her own personality and style. She believes in sustainable winemaking and refuses standardization, favoring a viticulture and a constant questioning of “chemical” practices. She has argued with appellation standards for years, feeling that some of the rules are detrimental to the quality of wine. Her wines are deeply rooted in Burgundian tradition, carrying all her sensitivity and the promise of a better future. She likes to show both sides of her lineup — “classic” (traditional) versus “baroque” (natural) — in contrast, as if to demonstrate that there’s no right answer to the questions of intervention.
CÔTE CHALONNAISE
💛 Domaine de Villaine 2021 Bouzeron
Founded in 1971 by winemaker Aubert de Villaine and his wife Pamela, Domaine de Villaine is located in Bouzeron within Côte Chalonnaise. After spending his career running Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC), de Villaine was determined to embrace the full diversity of Burgundy, and they discovered it in Aligoté Doré, the highest quality subtype of the grape, for which they have set up a conservancy to preserve. The domaine is currently run by Albert de Villaine’s nephew, Pierre de Benoist, who has a similar zeal for Aligoté.
🧡 Domaine de Cassiopée 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘En Gerlieus’ (Chassey-le-Camp)
Following their training experiences with Jean-Marc Roulot and Benjamin Leroux, winemakers Hugo Mathurin and Talloulah Dubourg wanted to find a place cold enough that could, amidst the growing challenge of climate change, produce the fresh, light-footed wines they liked to drink.
MÂCONNAIS
🤍 Domaine de la Soufrandière 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Aligato Cuvée Zen’ (Vinzelles)
This domaine’s work relies deeply on Mâconnais traditions, such as the use of arcure, an approach of blending back vine canes to the first trellis to balance clutter sizes and sap flow, versus letting them grow up or out.
BEAUJOLAIS
💜 Jacoulot NV Crème de Cassis ‘Tradition’ (Romanèche-Thorins)
During the 1950s, Vincent Jacoulot’s descendants began branching out from traditional brandy (for which it had been a historic producer since 1891) into fruit crèmes and liqueurs, both of which draw on Burgundy’s rich culinary traditions.
❧
SAVOIE
🍻 Brasserie des Voirons 2022 ‘Bière Vivante d’Aligoté’ (Lucinges)
Brasserie des Voirons is run by brewer Christophe Grellier in the Haute-Savoie village of Lucinges, which sits some 700 meters above sea level in the shadow of Mont Blanc. Beers are brewed with the alpine water of Voirons, which draws from the same source as Evian. Some are aged on the lees of wines from some of France’s most decorated vignerons, often in the same barrels in which the wine was raised, including winemaker Yann Durieux’s Aligoté. All beers are bottled unpasteurized and unfiltered.
❧
WEST COAST
OREGON
🩶 Björnson Vineyard 2023 Gouais Blanc Pamar Vineyard (Van Duzer Corridor)
Gouais Blanc was once widely planted in France and Germany, and was even favored by Charlemagne, but has since nearly disappeared from modern viticulture. Fortunately, Björnson Vineyard is the first to commercially plant and produce Gouais Blanc in the Western Hemisphere at Pamar Vineyard in the Van Duzer Corridor AVA within the Willamette Valley, with their first vintage in 2022.
🤍 Walter Scott 2021 Aligoté X Saxa Vineyard (Eola-Amity Hills)
During the spring of 2018, grower-winemaker Craig Williams grafted over 0.39 acres of vines to Aligoté at X Saxa Vineyard in Eola-Amity Hills. The high density, organically farmed vineyard was originally planted to Riesling in 2005. The site is an extremely steep, south-facing volcanic slope.
🤍 Ovum 2022 Aligoté Elkton (Southern Oregon)
Less than 30 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Umpqua River bends into the town of Elkton. The coastal mountain influence is an ideal climate for white wines of exceptional acidity and quiet aromatics, with clay loam soils sitting atop a thick slab of sandstone. The soil series combined with the alpine river valley and dry summer microclimate yield an Aligoté with measured ripeness and deep transmission of place.
CALIFORNIA
🤍 Jolie-Laide 2023 Aligoté Las Cimas Vineyard (Sonoma County)
Jolie-Laide’s block of Aligoté at Las Cimas Vineyard sits just under 800 feet in elevation in the northern region of the Russian River Valley. The northeast facing slope of this block combined with the coastal breezes and fog of the Pacific coast allow the grapes to maintain a high level of freshness with the perfect amount of sun exposure. The land is exposed to complex Franciscan soils normally unique to the Yorkville Highlands.
🤍 Young Inglewood / VENN 2021 Aligoté St. Helena (Napa Valley)
The Young Inglewood Vineyard is an old alluvial site with gravel and loam soils dating back to the 1870s where the vines were last replanted in 1997. Respect for the land, organic practices, and regenerative farming, mark the winemakers time here.
❧
EAST COAST
NEW YORK
💜 Current Cassis NV Blackcurrant Liqueur (Dutchess County)
💜 Current Cassis NV Blackcurrant Liqueur Barrel-Aged (Dutchess County)
The cultivation of blackcurrants in the United States came to a halt in the beginning of the 20th century when it was dicovered that the plant was a potential threat to white pine. It wasn’t until 2003 that a New York botanist made blackcurrants his mission, and the ban was overturned in New York state. Current Cassis (C. Cassis) is made by Rachael Petach in the Hudson Valley, just a fe miles from where their blackcurrants are grown. Rachael fell for the spirit while working on organic farms in France. Years later, she decided to make a new interpretation that goes big on herbaceous, almost savory flavor — C. Cassis is much less sweet than its crème de cassis counterpart, with a more vermouth-style approach to it.
THE MENU
Chef Hong-ly Lao, who has trained and worked in many kitchens in France (including Domaine Dujac in Morey-Saint-Denis and Domaine Simon Bize & Fils in Savigny-lès-Beaune), prepared four traditional Cambodian dishes with French influences to accompany all of these wonderful Aligoté wines from Burgundy and beyond. Thanks again to our friend Bryn for the kismet of this introduction a couple months ago at RAW WINE in New York!
1ST COURSE
Natang panipuri with ground pork belly, coconut, & cucumber
2ND COURSE
nom pao feuilleté with gai lan & tarragon butter sauce
3RD COURSE
veggie nompang with fried tofu, carrot, cucumber, five-spice mayo, & broccolini
4TH COURSE
red tuna with cauliflower purée, dill, kaffir lime, & ponzu
DESSERT
Bánh by Lauren’s pandan chiffon cake with coconut mousse & whipped cream frosting (TYSM for bringing this, Aneri & Dev — a total hit!)
Maialino’s olive oil cake (homemade by me and served in cupcake form)
desserts on deck
THE WINEUP
/ December 20, 2024 @ Paulus Hook, Jersey City /
Étienne Calsac NV Champagne ‘L’Échappée Belle’ Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
$130 @ Leon & Son Wine (1.5L, magnum)
Coeur Wine Co. (New York) | 🇫🇷 sparkling white (dég. 6/2023)
Chardonnay
great escape ・ bready and steely ・ crisp apple tart
Clément Lavallée 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Pariot’
$36 @ Thatcher's Wine
Martine’s Wines (California) | 🇫🇷 still white (Saint-Bris, Chablis)
Aligoté
Chablisian subtlety ・ camera shy ・ tamed texture
Pierre Morey 2021 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Cuvée Becky’
$68 @ Crush Wine Co. (1.5L, magnum)
Grand Cru Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still white (Meursault, Côte de Beaune)
Aligoté
Aligoté 101 ・ brilliant baseline ・ heartfelt tribute
Ovum 2022 Aligoté Elkton
$36 @ Leon & Son Wine
Ovum Wines (Oregon) | 🇺🇸 still white (Elkton, Southern Oregon)
Aligoté
seashells by the seashore ・ quiet demeanor ・ summer sipper
Jolie-Laide 2023 Aligoté Las Cimas Vineyard Sonoma County
$45 @ Jolie~Laide Wines
Jolie~Laide Wines (California) | 🇺🇸 still white (North Coast & Central Coast)
Aligoté
rounded punch ・ phenolic pleasure ・ Jolie-Laide’s unmistakable aromatics
Walter Scott 2021 Aligoté X Saxa Vineyard
$45 @ Morrell Wine Merchant
Walter Scott (Oregon) | 🇺🇸 still white (Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley)
Aligoté
Burgundian weight ・ matchsticks ・ flinty sherbert
Young Inglewood / VENN 2021 Aligoté St. Helena
$40 @ Flatiron Wines SF
Young Inglewood Vineyards (California) | 🇺🇸 still white (St. Helena, Napa Valley)
Aligoté
white herbal tea・fleshy persimmon ・ Napa newcomer
Domaine Michel Lafarge 2021 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Raisins Doré’
$34 @ Flatiron Wines SF
Veritas Imports (California) | 🇫🇷 still white (Volnay)
Aligoté [Doré]
Super Mario mushroom ・ golden grapes ・ creeping crescendo
Domaine de Villaine 2021 Bouzeron
$52 @ Astor Wines
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant (California) | 🇫🇷 still white (Bouzeron, Côte Chalonnaise)
Aligoté [Doré]
circus of citrus ・ reductive palate ・ baby’s first Bouzeron
Chanterêves 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Les Chagniots’
$73 @ Thirst Merchants
Grand Cru Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still white (Corgoloin/Ladoix-Serrigny, Hautes-Côtes)
Aligoté [Doré]
juicy starfruit ・ cucumber spa ・ old vines, new waves
Sylvain Pataille 2020 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Clos du Roy’
Vignobles et Châteaux (France) | 🇫🇷 still white (Marsannay, Côte de Nuits)
Aligoté [Doré]
the king’s vineyard・ lemon confit ・ climax of Doré
Benoît Ente 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Antichtone’
$80 @ Leon Son & Wine
DNS Wines (California) | 🇫🇷 still white (Puligny-Montrachet, Côte de Beaune)
Aligoté
hook, line, & sinker ・ baby Puligny-Montrachet ・ orchards & groves
Les Horées 2021 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘En Coulezain’
$150 @ Thatcher's Wine
Thatcher’s Imports (California) | 🇫🇷 still orange (Pommard & Volnay, Côte de Beaune)
Aligoté
Super Mario invincible star ・ skin contact, all teed up ・ ethereal texture
Domaine de la Soufrandière 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Aligato Cuvée Zen’
$65 @ Leon Son & Wine
Corkhoarder (New York) | 🇫🇷 still white (Vinzelles, Mâconnais)
Aligoté
total zen ・ supernatural & balanced ・ micro-produced showstopper
Château de Béru / Athénaïs 2021 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘Macération’
$75 @ Leon Son & Wine
Zev Rovine Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still orange (Saint-Bris, Chablis)
Aligoté
yabba dabba doo ・ spiced tangerine tea ・ vitamin C
Claire Naudin 2021 Vin de France ‘Le Clou 34’
$49 @ Discovery Wines
Wine MC² Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still orange (Magny-lès-Villers, Hautes-Côtes)
Aligoté
welcoming energy ・ silent tension ・poised power
Domaine de Cassiopée 2022 Bourgogne-Aligoté ‘En Gerlieus’
$51 @ Morrell Wine Merchant
Grand Cru Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 still orange (Chassey-le-Camp, Côte Chalonnaise)
Aligoté
Aligoté in amphora ・ mineral & fennel ・ effortlessly elegant
BONUS + KIR CORNER
Björnson Vineyard 2023 Gouais Blanc Pamar Vineyard
$35 @ Björnson Vineyard
Björnson Vineyard (Oregon) | 🇺🇸 still white (Van Duzer Corridor, Willamette Valley)
Gouais Blanc
floral frenzy・candied ginger・Casanova of grapes
Brasserie des Voirons 2022 ‘Bière Vivante d’Aligoté’
$19 @ Flatiron Wines SF
XX (California) | 🇫🇷 blonde ale (Savoie)
Blonde Ale beer macerated & aged on Aligoté lees from Yann Durieux (Côte de Nuits)
tangy & yeasty・ Savoie faire ・ acid trip
Jacoulot NV Crème de Cassis ‘Tradition’
$52 @ CoolVines Jersey City
De Maison Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 fortified liqueur (Romanèche-Thorins, Beaujolais)
Noir de Bourgogne blackcurrants
clean & currant ・ grape jam ・ berry bushes
Current Cassis NV Blackcurrant Liqueur
Current Cassis NV Barrel-Aged Blackcurrant Liqueur
$30 @ Flatiron Wines (375mL) + $40 @ Jersey Wine & Spirits (375mL)
Zev Rovine Selections (New York) | 🇺🇸 fortified liqueur (Dutchess Valley)
New York blackcurrants
former outlaw ・ killer Kirs ・ lemon verbena
Oremus 2017 Tokaji Late Harvest
Europvin USA (New York) | 🇭🇺 dessert white (500mL)
Furmint / Hárslevelü / Zéta / Sárgamuskotály
Pandan pal ・ orange marmalade ・ not too sweet
Château Climens 1988 Sauternes-Barsac
Vineyard Brands (New York) | 🇫🇷 dessert white
Sémillon
apple pie ・ noblest rot ・ youthful sage
THE CODA
As with its well-established older siblings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Aligoté contains multitudes and can reflect terroir just as gracefully as they can. As we advanced through the “song” of Burgundy’s Third Eye, each of these sixteen wines became the “tasting lyrics” that underscored the narrative, rhythm, and nuance of Aligoté. All’s to say, the gamble on the wineup order paid off. This often forgotten grape — the inadvertent party wallflower — slowly came out of its shell, building itself into a well-deserved crescendo. Plus, the incredible dishes cooked up by chef Hong-ly Lao were absolutely phenomenal to have alongside this comprehensive tasting.
As you might have gathered from reading The Decanterbury Tales, I am no stranger to rabbit holes, but Aligoté might now be my favorite one. While I unreservedly hate public speaking, my curiosity and enthusiasm for Aligoté (and in a larger sense, wine) has armed me with the confidence to share my learnings from memory, without note cards nor busting a sweat.
With my postulation of Aligoté as Burgundy’s third eye, this tasting has likewise uncovered the many charms hiding behind the variety’s unintended humility. My pre-Two Bottle Stef persona was a similar wallflower, often crippled with self-doubt and social anxiety. I’ve since felt very seen — so fortunate to have a found here in Jersey City an equally engaged wine community, who have become my biggest teachers and supporters. All the thanks to them for making all my Aligoté dreams come true — none of this would be possible without your encouragement and participation.
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Cheers,
Stefie aka ‘Two Bottle Stef’ 💁🏻♀️✌️🍾
Episode 451: “The Aligoté Thread” from I’ll Drink to That podcast
from The New French Wine: Redefining the World's Greatest Wine Culture by Jon Bonné
See Footnote 2.
See Footnote 1.
“A Farewell to Becky Wasserman, a Great Sage of Burgundy” by Eric Asimov from The New York Times
from Inside Burgundy: The Vineyards, The Wine and The People by Jasper Morris
See Footnote 6.
See Footnote 2.
“Nelly Claims 1999 to 2010 Was ‘Toughest Era in Hip Hop Ever’” by Mark Elibert from Complex