Aligoté - Grape Variety

Aligoté is often considered the "third grape" of Burgundy and sometimes considered the poor relation of its more famous cousin, Chardonnay. It is most notable in the Bourgogne Aligoté appellation wines and it plays a key role in the sparkling wine, Crémant de Bourgogne. Aligoté is part of the Pinot family of grapes and there is a clone grown in Burgundy called Aligoté dorée (i.e. golden Aligoté), which is considered to make wines of higher quality. When the vines are old and planted on favourable sites, Aligoté is capable of producing wines of good, even very good, quality.