25 Mar Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Edaphos Wines 2017 Aligote, Barbed Oak Vineyard, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County

Bright aromatics and high acidity are two reasons I love white wine. So, when I took a sip of the Edaphos Wines 2017 Aligote, I fell in love. And that is why the Edaphos Wines 2017 Aligote, Barbed Oak Vineyard, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

Chardonnay is the famous white wine of Burgundy, France. But, there is also Aligoté, the “other” white grape in Burgundy. This almost forgotten white grape of Burgundy almost disappeared when Chardonnay grew in demand. There is still some Aligoté planted in Burgundy, typically planted in less productive vineyard sections. Aligoté is also produced in Eastern European countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Bulgaria. But it is not a typical variety in the United States.

Edaphos Wines sources their Aligoté from the Barbed Oak Vineyard in Bennett Valley in Sonoma County. Bennett Valley is an area with steep hillsides, alluvial soils and fog retention. Barbed Oak Vineyard is an 18-acre property and there is less than one acre of Aligoté planted. It is planted in a part of the vineyard that is too cold for Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

The grapes are crushed into press, fermented by native yeasts in concrete amphora and moved to neutral barrel for malolatic fermentation. The wine spends 17 months on the lees and is not filtered before bottling.

Aligoté is known for its acid and this one is no exception. Citrus fruit, grapefruit, stone fruit, floral aromas and mineral notes jump out of the glass. The wine has lots of texture and a chalky finish.

Only 116 cases are made of the Edaphos Wines 2017 Aligote, Barbed Oak Vineyard, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County which costs $36 and is only 10.75% alc.