Today, I doubled down on my quest to reach 200 unique wine varietals by the end of 2021. In doing so, I decided to grab a bottle of Aligoté from my wine fridge that I picked up on a tasting trip last year in Santa Barbara. This bottle was something unusual I spotted on the available wines when tasting at Au Bon Climat. Jim Clendenen is a wine legend and winemaker at Au Bon Climat but also has a family label for other projects. While tasting, I scrolled the list for possible varieties to cross off my list (this is a routine habit for me as I am quite determined to find lesser known types). I was quite enthused to find they had this available for purchase. And for 9 months, it has sat in my fridge waiting to be opened until now!
The weather was lovely for a spring day in the northwest today, which called for a glass of a crisp white. The wine is a clear, pale brassy yellow with watery legs. It has obvious aromas of oak, as well as lemon juice and pith, wet stone and chalk. On the palate, this higher acid, dry wine tastes of toasted wood, meyer lemon, salt, wet stone, and lemon pith. It reminds me of a cool climate oaked chardonnay. The wine is well balanced and too easy to sip! Perfect for such a wonderful day!
-TheLooseTannin
A Trip Around the World of Wine in 52 Weeks 