The Other White Meat

I can't recall when I first heard of Aligote, but I do know that it wasn't long before my first grown-up trip to Paris a few Marches ago. The description lodged in my head -- Burgundy's Other White Wine, I was told, it was bracing and lively and Not Chardonnay. Okay, it was sometimes dismissed as crap wine only good for making kir -- which it is in the classical preparation -- but good ones could be interesting. Its own varietal, I was told it was the sort of wine I'd see by the glass in modest bistros. And so proved to be the case. I enjoyed quite a few glasses of Aligote around town, although not, naturally, in the Montmarte wine bar named Sancerre. I do recall one particular afternoon in St. Germain, a bright cafe clad in wicker and ferns, and a lovely glass of Aligote. I determined to make it a regular in my rotation. It's a good wine to know about, because it suits fish very well, and being not terribly well known, can offer good value on restaurant menus. O Senhor and I shared a bottle over a plate of oysters and local cheeses standing (because there aren't barstools, all the better to deter lingering) at the bar at San Francisco's no-longer-delightful Zuni Cafe. Alas I didn't note the producer, and I recall that bottle tasting just the littlest bit greasy, which one sometimes has the back luck to encounter with this wine. Fortunately, the bottle I have in front of me right now, a 2002 Bourgogne Aligote from Domaine Rollins Pere et Fils, is a treasure. I poured a glass as the late afternoon spring sunshine was drenching our kitchen, and as the light passed through it, the wine glistened with pale beauty. The nose is light without being overmodest, fresh and light green, bringing to mind nothing so much as alfafa sprouts. There is the barest hint of cedar, an otherwise overpowering scent that is here no more than a fading farewell. Hitting the tongue, it is acidic without being shockingly citrus-y. The fruit is closer to pear, underripe but still pleasant, bearing a hint of the tree's flowers, and there is a mellow herbal quality also, a tamed Italian parsley. It actively makes me want a fine, leafy, well-dressed salad. Yes, I like this wine...I like th'swine...I bought this bottle on sale at Astor for about $12, but in my experience Aligotes are more often seen at about $15 . At four years old, this is drinking beautifully, but I would be wary of the 2003s. I doubt Aligotes much benefit from hot weather and wouldn't be surprised if it engenders the greasiness I've disliked in them.