Wine Grapes: Aligote

DNA parentage analysis has established that Aligoté is a natural progeny of PINOT and GOUAIS BLANC, just like its sibling's CHARDONNAY, GAMAY NOIR, MELON and other minor varieties of north-eastern France. This is consistent with the birthplace of Aligoté being in north-eastern France, most likely in Burgundy.

Red-fleshed berries. Early budding and early to mid ripening and therefore at risk of spring frosts. Quite vigorous and needs to be pruned short. Moderate but consistent yields in dry climates. Sensitive to wind and drought. Resistant to powdery mildew but susceptible to downy mildew, Phomopsis, flavescent doreé, and very susceptible to bacterial diseases. There are two mutations: one with colorless flesh and the other with hairy leaves.

The total area of Aligoté vineyards in France is almost exactly the same as it was fifty years ago…almost entirely in Burgundy, both in the Cote d’Or and further south, and to a lesser extent in the Chablis region, which explains why it is often thought of as Burgundy’s ‘other white variety’. Top producers include Michel Bouzereau, Arnaud Ente, Michel Lafarge, Ponsot (in Monts Luisants, Morey-Saint-Denis), and A & P de Villaine. Aligoté used to be planted in the cru of Meursault in the nineteenth century, and in 1930 a legal judgment authorized the production of Corton-Charlemagne with Aligoté.