Anshu Grover:

Hello and welcome to The Wineitupanotch Podcast, a podcast where we talk about wine, life and everything in between. My name is Anshu Grover, I'm a certified specialist of wine, and I hold the Diploma in Wines from the WSET.

I'm so thrilled that you've decided to join me today. Thank you for doing so. 

Welcome to Episode 48 of The Wineitupanotch Podcast.

Today's episode is going to be another installment of the Wineitupanotch "Diving into Burgundy" series. 

If you're just joining us today, I would encourage you to look backwards at some of our previous episodes. This year in 2025, we have been very focused as a company on providing consumers with more information about the Burgundy region of France.

This is a region that is most definitely highly coveted, sought out, worshiped, if you will, collected. People love it. But it can also be very confusing, and so we want to provide more information in bite-sized chunks to people who love Burgundy or who want to love Burgundy to make it more accessible to you.

Before we get into today's episode, I would actually encourage you to episode number 44, where we talked about the grapes of the Burgundy region, and I provided a fairly straightforward framework for understanding the most important grapes of the Burgundy region. Today we'll be focusing in on Aligoté, which is one of the important ones, but if you want to get that overall picture, be sure to listen to Episode 44.

There are also other podcast episodes that you can listen to that will provide you with more information on Burgundy. You can go to our YouTube channel, there's some videos there. Our social media channels like Instagram and TikTok, there's some information there as well. And our website, of course, has about three or four articles dedicated to the wines of Burgundy and the Burgundy region.

Now before we get into our discussion of Aligoté, I would like to take a moment to recognize a wonderful listener by the name of Sonam who recently reached out to me to explain that they've been listening to the podcast for a little while, back to back almost, and have made their way through lots of episodes and have enjoyed them thoroughly.

I really appreciate (Sonam) you for reaching out and sending 

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me that feedback. You know, sometimes when I sit down to record at this mic, it can feel a bit like I'm just speaking to myself or speaking into an abyss. I can actually see myself as I'm recording, which is a little unnerving, and I never really know if the content is fully landing or if it is appreciated by anybody other than myself as I record it.

So every time I get a note or a review, it means the world to me, and I know that it takes time out of your busy schedule to send a note or send a review. But, you know what? It does really make a difference. So I just want to recognize anybody who does it, and also Sonam in particular, because I'm sitting down today to record this podcast episode because of that review that I received last week. So thank you for that! 

Now let's get into the topic of Aligoté because that's why we're here today.

Aligoté is a grape that produces white wines in the Burgundy region, and it represents about 6.5% of all plantings. Now in France, there's about 2000 hectares of Aligoté vines planted, but 1800 hectares of those are in the Burgundy region. So most of the Aligoté that is planted in France is actually planted in Burgundy. And within Burgundy itself, at 6.5%, it represents the third most planted grape of the region.

Aligoté is a thick skinned variety that is known for its characteristically high acidity. It also happens to be a very vigorous variety, which means that a vine can produce lots and lots of grapes and leaves, so it gets really full, really fast.

In the glass, it produces, as I said, a white wine that can have a golden hue to it and is known for having orchard fruit characteristics, high acidity, sometimes a bit of a phenolic grip that comes from some bitterness that can be in the skins, and it is also known for having a grippiness, like a little bit more weight than some other wines might.

From a genetics perspective, Aligoté is considered to be very similar to Chardonnay - a cousin, if you will. It is the descendant of the Pinot family of grapes and also the ancient grape, 

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Gouais, and both of those grapes are also part of the lineage of Chardonnay. So in fact, Aligoté and Chardonnay are quite closely related, genetically speaking.

However, they don't necessarily share the same characteristics. 

Chardonnay is very neutral, whereas Aligoté is not an aromatic grape, but it has more flavor profile and more aromatics than Chardonnay does. I would still consider it to be more on the neutral side, but more expressive than Chardonnay.

It also has a thicker skin than Chardonnay does, and it's later ripening than Chardonnay. So while it's got some similarities, it is definitely a grape in and of itself. 

Once upon a time, Aligoté actually had quite a prominent position in the vineyards of Burgundy wherein it was actually planted alongside Chardonnay in some of the best Burgundy vineyards.

But over time, it didn't do as well in the vineyards of Burgundy because of climate, and it wasn't always planted in the best places. And when Aligoté doesn't reach its full ripeness, it can be quite lean and hard-edged because its acidity is so high, and if it doesn't have a fullness of fruit flavors, and a good level of sugar because it didn't ripen properly, you won't necessarily get a great expression in the glass.

So over time, it started to be revered less than Chardonnay because Chardonnay was growing better in the region given the growing environment of the region is a little cooler. Chardonnay does better in cooler conditions than Aligoté does.

The true turning point for Aligoté came in the 18th Century when the phylloxera louse hit the region and decimated the vineyards of Burgundy. Once that tragedy was over and done with, and it was time to replace the vineyards, many vine growers decided to replace Aligoté vines, which previously had been planted alongside Chardonnay and shared some of the best vineyard space in the region - they decided to replace those vines with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both of which are better suited to the climate of Burgundy, and were becoming more popular as a higher end wine. So therefore they could generate a better return for wine producers. 

And that continues to be the 

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case today - i.e. that Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the two truly noble varieties of Burgundy, and they can command a much higher price tag than Aligoté can which is why they continue to be, for now, the most planted grapes in the region ahead of Aligoté.

Now Aligoté did continue to be planted in the region because it did have some pretty important uses. As I mentioned, it's a vigorous vine. It can grow in large quantities, even under suboptimal conditions. And what will be impacted is the flavor profile or quality level of the wine but not the quantity. So over time, Aligoté was relegated to the coolest and most productive parts of the Burgundy vineyard where you could get high quantities of grapes, but not necessarily where you're going to get the best quality.

So those high sites at the top of the ridge of a vineyard, or the very low sites in the fertile plains is where Aligoté tends to be planted in the broader Burgundy region.

The Aligoté grape today is used to produce still dry wines and it is also used in the production of the Crémant, or sparkling wines, of the region.

Aligoté wines have also been used very broadly in the Bourgogne region for the region's cocktail. It's signature cocktail, called Kir, which is a mix of wine and crème de cassis liqueur. 

Now, as you can imagine, if you're using the wine as the base for a cocktail, perhaps the quality of the wine underlying that cocktail does not necessarily have to be the best.And so again, there was limited reason for the producers of the region to look for really high quality Aligoté in the recent past.

Having said that, Aligoté did get its own appellation in the form of a regional appellation known as Bourgogne Aligoté AOC in 1937, and about 60 years later in the late 1990s, Bouzeron AOC was also created, which is the only one actually of 44 village level appellations that is dedicated to the production of 100% Aligoté-based wines.

The wines of Bouzeron are very 

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Special - we will come to that in a moment. But let's finish talking about the wines made from Aligoté in the broader Burgundy region.

Aligoté is picking up a lot of interest because as the climate is changing and Burgundy is becoming warmer, Aligoté is actually doing better. The conditions are better for Aligoté to reach its prime level of ripeness, and because it's still got that really characteristically high acidity, the combination of high acidity with ripe fruit is producing some really beautiful wines as we're getting into warmer and warmer temperatures in the Burgundy region and in the world as a whole.

The impact of that is there is more interest in Bourgogne Aligoté AOC wines than there has been in the past, and there is more interest in the grape broadly in the region with the producers in the region and many appellations at the village level are looking at adding Aligoté as one of the ancillary grapes in their charter.

So it would not replace Chardonnay, but it would be a grape that would be used in smaller quantities to complement the white wines of that particular village appellation. 

These are newer developments because the region is starting to re-appreciate how well Aligoté can do in the region when it's given the right conditions and those conditions are coming naturally now because of climate change.

Now - the double click on the Bouzeron AOC. 

Bouzeron AOC is located in the Côte Chalonnaise which is under the Côte d'Or and is one of the smallest AOCs in the Burgundy region, and it is really at that northern tip of the Côte Chalonnaise just under the Côte d'Or. Here, the AOC wines are produced using 100% Aligoté, so it is really the backbone of all the fortunes of the Bouzeron appellation. 

As such, it is given the best sites here in Bouzeron to grow in - the middle of the slopes where the best sunlight hits, where the soils are poor but still have sufficient nutrients to grow the vine well, vineyard management techniques are used to control quality to focus in on a lower 

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yield than anywhere else.

In fact, the maximum yield in Bouzeron is only 45 hectolitres per hectare, as opposed to 60 hectolitres per hectare allowed for the Bourgogne Aligoté AOC. So they're really focused on quality here in Bouzeron, and that shows in the glass because the wines can be phenomenal when they come from the Bouzeron AOC.

Now let's do a little “compare and contrast” between the Chardonnay-based wines of the region and the Aligoté wines of the region. 

Some would say there's no comparison. The Chardonnay wines of Burgundy are incredible, but Aligoté has its place as well, especially when you can find really, really good examples from good years where the conditions were perfect for the cultivation of the grape.

Where Chardonnay is a very neutral grape and it takes on the characteristics the winemaker gives it, Aligoté tends to bring a little bit more fruit to the glass, its own fruit expression.

Where Chardonnay may suffer in really hot years, Aligoté is going to thrive because it can handle more heat, it can handle a longer summer, longer hang times, and still maintain its fresh acidity. 

Where the Chardonnay-based white wines of the Burgundy region can reach extremely high prices, and some will even argue that the quality price ratios just don't make sense anymore when it comes to the white wines of Burgundy, Aligoté-based wines are quite the opposite. They can represent terrific value for the savvy wine consumer.

So all of this comes together to make a good business case for Aligoté, in my view.

In terms of what you'll experience in the glass, these wines have orchard fruit notes like green apple, red apple, there might be some lemon notes - sometimes depending on ripeness levels, you'll get some peach and maybe even some nuttiness and a white floral note. 

They make the ideal accompaniment for salads, lunch, uh, sandwiches if you will, barbecue. Even some types of chicken, seafood, oysters - they can all handle an Aligoté wine.

And of course, let's not forget about cheese. Aligoté with its high acidity is the perfect accompaniment to certain types of cheese!

Now, you may sometimes hear people saying that Aligoté is more of a cheaper 

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wine. You know, it doesn't age very well…but that's not true. There are some Aligoté wines that can age really well, particularly in the short to medium term -so let's say three to maybe six or seven years. They can really evolve nicely in the bottle if they're well made, and from a good year.

And some people think that all Aligoté-based wines are supposed to be fresh and drunk young and so they're aged only in stainless steel. But in fact, there are many producers in the region that are also experimenting with making their wines using oak barrels because they want to make wines that are suitable for aging.

Oh, and this is a little bit of an insider sommelier tip - Aligoté is definitely known for having a saline note. So if you're ever blind tasting wines, look for that saline note if you're not sure if you've got Aligoté in the glass. It might point you in the right direction! This is also another reason why Aligoté makes the perfect pairing for seafood.

And there you have it, a rundown of the Aligoté grape of the Bourgogne region. 

Now remember, Aligoté is grown in other parts of the world. It is grown in large quantities in Eastern Europe. And in other parts of France, you can find it as well. But it is definitely very closely associated with the Burgundy region being the number three most planted grape in the region.

And you know, potentially a significant competitor for Chardonnay at some point in the future as the climate keeps changing! 

I hope this encourages you to try some Aligoté-based wines in your glass. If you do, or if you're already a fan, I'd love to hear from you. Please do let me know what you think. 

And with that, I'll wish you lots of peace, love, light, and of course, great wine. Until we meet again, cheers!