This spring I am doing a series of columns on white wines. It will be
those that I have come across lately which possess these qualities:
They are bright, crisp, and refreshing; exciting to design meals around
and enjoy with; and they are on the more obscure side, offering
interesting searches and studies. They are wines for the coming warm
season and for all times. Rather than include many different wines in
one column I have decided to devote proper attention to each one. This
is the second chapter.
Aligot⁄ is a white varietal that comes from Burgandy, France and is
known to be the fourth most planted grape in the world. But it isn't
that well known, at least here in United States. Perhaps because in
Burgandy it grows in the shadows of a similar white grape, chardonnay,
which to many is the most compelling white wine on earth. Because of
that, aligot⁄ is mostly found planted on the edges of chardonnay
vineyards or relegated to lesser sites altogether. Even though in the
past two centuries the more acidic Aligot⁄ was blended into chardonnay
(in small amounts), French farmers and vignerons have replaced most
plantings with chardonnay. The grape carries only regional appellation
status granted by law in Bourgogne, thus it seems to carry no local
vineyard importance.
But Aligot⁄ from Bourgogne should taste familiar to us, it tastes like
chardonnay. Aligot⁄ offers fruit and, yes, lots of acidity. The wines
are fairly dry and crisp. While there is only a small amount of Aligot⁄
made into still wine, sparkling wines are more the norm and they are
known as 'Cremant de Bourgogne .' This style of wine was splashed with
cr∂me de cassis in the original cocktail we know as 'kir.'
Aligot⁄ has also long been grown in places like Bulgaria and Russia,
where it is used to make their versions of sparklers. Chile has
experimented with its production too. And another new world region that
is getting behind aligot⁄ is the Yakima Valley in Washington state,
where aligot⁄ proves to be resistant to the coldest temperatures at
each end of the growing season and it does quite well.
Last week Jessie Kipp, the owner of Ella, gave me a bottle of La Bete
Aligot⁄ from the Yakima Valley. La Bete are small producers who make
very interesting pinot noirs in Oregon's Willamette Valley. They bring
fruit from the other side of the Columbia River in Washington to make
this wine. What is noticeable straight away is that this bottling
carries the 'Newhouse Vineyard,' specific designation. This new world
wine should command this type of respect as well.
In my recent follies with these white wines I have been creating meals
around their expectations and really getting to know them. The La Bete
Aligot⁄ was pale and straw colored and had a subtle yet rich nose of
flowers and bright but sweet fruit. This same essence of pineapples
mingled also on the palate with crisp, sour pomegranate, lemons and
sweeter flavors of praline, butterscotch and almonds. The wine had a
lot of sediment in it. Flakes of white tartrates coated the glasses and
the bottle when the wine was gone. The sugars gave this wine body and
structure and the acidity on the finish gave it great length, with
flavors of mild white pepper and lemon-grass fading into smoky and
earthy tones.
This great balance made the wine easy to pair with a meal of
pan-grilled chicken marinated in banana and coconut curry, grilled
onions, butternut squash with garlic and ginger, and lightly flavored
red beans. The wine shined. The pineapple flavors really complimented
the bird and its dress, while the silky texture and acidity surrounded
the starch of the squash and the beans, making them creamy, blending
perfectly with the curry spices coming forth through it all. In fact,
this wine handles spice really well, at the same time retaining both a
rich, velvety palate and fresh, bright acidity. Furthermore, the wine
offered resonant sweet-and-sour tones that lingered in the esophagus
like a pineapple lemondrop. I stepped back for 10 minutes with this
finish going on and on. It even held up later to a dessert of
Madagascar vanilla gelato and lemon cream biscotti with a light hit of
maple-lemon drizzly, although it did give off a whiff of smoky
leafiness!
Unfortunately, these wines are not always widely available in shops or
on wine lists. Be persistent and seek out a few bottles of aligot⁄.
What you may find is a clean, well-bodied and crisp wine to serve
chilled on a warm summer day, or to enjoy later in the evening with a
great meal. Cheers! Remember, wine reveals truth.
Drew Stofflet is the sommelier for Ella, in Carbondale. Correspond with him at aspendrew@hotmail.com.
