white grape · regional staple
Aligoté
Burgundy, France
Say it
ah·lee·go·tay
The last syllable is tay, from the acute-accented é.
On the palate
lemongreen applewhite flowershazelnutsaline
How you spot it blind: sharper acidity with lemon and a saline edge versus Burgundy Chardonnay
The story
First written down · 18th century, Burgundy, France
DNA work in 1999 showed Aligoté is a natural cross of Pinot and Gouais blanc. In Burgundy it long sat behind Chardonnay, but Bouzeron was granted its own village AOC in 1998 for 100% Aligoté. Growers later formed Les Aligoteurs in 2018 to promote and conserve the grape.
Family tree: Gouais blanc × Pinot
Where it lives
Codru, Moldova · Krasnodar Krai, Russia · Dealurile Moldovei, Romania · Burgundy, France
Shows up as
still whitesparkling