2010 was the first year that ABC brought in a rare varietal wine from Burgundy, France, called Aligoté (or Bourgogne Aligoté). As we welcome our snowbird guests from the province of Quebec, one of the first questions I often get asked is "Where is your Aligote?" Many of our Canadian guests stay here in Florida from November until the frosts go away in Quebec after Easter. I thought it was a great idea when ABC brought in this wine as we all know what it's like to be away from home for a while and even the smallest reminder of home makes us feel comfortable. One of our best French wine importers who supplies us with fantastic Direct To You Wines from France is Jonathan Shiekman from Margate Wines and Spirits in Northfield, NJ. If Jonathan were going to offer ABC an Aligoté, as usual, it had to be of the highest quality like the rest of his portfolio. Paul Pillot, a fourth generation winery with 13 hectares of land and with vineyards in Chassagne Montrachet and Santenay, is the producer.  

 As I was putting my display together this year for the 2010 fresh vintage of Paul Pillot Bourgogne Aligoté, I bought a bottle and sampled it. Even better than the 2009, the 2010 smells like Chablis with that fresh day at the beach smell of salinity. On the palate it shows fresh apples, pears, and a fresh squeeze of citrus with a tingling sensation on your mid-palate that just makes your mouth water and lingers for five minutes or more and makes you want to dive in for another sip.

 This is quality wine that makes the perfect aperitif and the perfect wine for a plate of stone crabs with mustard sauce.

 Stop by your local ABC Fine Wine and Spirits and pick up a bottle or more (a very small supply is brought in each year) and I swear you will think you are drinking a $35 bottle of Chablis (made from Chardonnay like all white Burgundies, except for this) and not a $15.99 unique varietal wine such as this one.  Bienvenue, Aligoté est ici, and Paul Pillot's 2010 Bourgogne Aligoté is tres, tres, tres, tres bon! For my English speaking guests, this wine is really, really, really, good!

Guest blogger Larry Baker is the wine consultant at our Pembroke Pines store.

You can see more of his wine/food reviews at his personal website, www.larrythewineguy.net.