2005 Calera 30th Anniversary Vintage Mt. Harlan Aligoté

12.8% alc., 54 cases, $28. Aligoté (Al-eego- tay) is the other white grape of Burgundy. Reportedly, its ancestral home is Bouzeron in Burgundy’s Côte Chalonnaise. The grape is noted for producing an austere acidic wine and those in Bouzeron were known to add a few drops of Créme de Cassis to the wine to make it palatable. This was the origination of the cocktail Kir. Actually, if yields are kept low and the wine is vinified appropriately, it can produce a white wine of crisp character. It is most adaptable to limestone-rich soils. Jensen grafted over two rows of Pinot Noir to Aligoté in the Jensen Vineyard as an experiment. This is the first commercial harvest and one of the few wineries to release this varietal in the United States. · I rather enjoyed this wine. The flavors were similar in profile to Riesling with apple, mineral and a little petrol evident. Tropical fruits and butter scents were quite attractive. The acid was well-corralled. Reviewed September 2, 2007

Winery: Calera Wine Co.
From article: Calera: Pinot Grows Where Limestone Flows