De Moor - Aligoté 2019
This time we drink a bottle of Aligoté 2019 from Burgundy by Alice and Olivier De Moor.
It’s a shitty time to write about wine. First the pandemic and now a war in Europe. I’ve been thinking about whether I want to write at all today. But between news and doomscrolling, writing does me good as a prop of habit and distraction. That’s why I’m writing now. Despite the crappy time and knowing that the bottle of wine and what I write about it basically doesn’t matter at all. Knowing that almost everything else is more important. It’s always been that way, and it’s just a little bit more true now.
In the glass today is a wine that I’ve been meaning to open for a while. Alice and Olivier de Moor make wines on about 7 hectares in Burgundy. The two have been working organically since 2005 and try to intervene as little as possible in the cellar through good preparatory work. There is no fining, no filtering or treatment and as little sulfur as possible is added. We are sampling a bottle of Aligoté from their own wine line today. They also have an exciting line of wines made from purchased grapes, including grapes not grown in Burgundy, which may be in the spotlight here another time. Aligoté plays relatively clear second fiddle to Chardonnay among white wines in Burgundy. Both in terms of area grown and reputation for quality. Let’s see.
The wine appears creamy, almost sweet on the nose. There’s honeydew melon, some pear and exoticism. In the mouth, however, it seems completely different. Super straight, mineral, salty and with a great acidity. Reminiscent of pineapple and it is super fresh. One does not notice the 13,5% alcohol at all right now.
A day later, there is clearly more pome fruit than exoticism in the nose. Apple, pear and a now more discreet creaminess. There is also herbal spice. In the mouth, the wine has become even saltier and the acidity continues to pack a punch. For us, another real overnight improvement. The Aligoté is fresh with plenty of pull and then the taste of sour, crisp apple lingers on the tongue for a long time. More air promotes a slightly oxidative note on the nose and the creaminess comes out more again and as it warms up, you notice the alcohol a bit as well. However, this does not detract from the experience. A great wine.