Limited Addition Aligoté 2024
Aligote, first grafted in the Ribbon Ridge AVA of the Willamette Valley in 2015. The grape variety performs exceptionally well on the marine sedimentary soils which keep fruit yields low with thick grape skins. These factors contribute fine tannin structure and a pleasant bitterness that helps the resulting wine have the serious structural characteristic for long term aging potential.
Grown alongside Chardonnay and Pinot noir in Burgundy. Aligote is seeing a renaissance in France with several small premium wineries focusing on it with the intention of making serious, complex, long lived wines. In the case of Chardonnay losing its acidity levels due to warming climate, we suspect this renewed interest in Aligote in France is due to a cultural preference for higher acidity white wines capable of showing significant minerality.
It makes sense that the Willamette Valley should be the American location to focus on the production of serious Aligote wines due to its cold climate, later ripening growing conditions which are perfectly suited to retaining the high level of acidity and minerality found in premium versions of Aligote. Dore selection genetics. This genetic selection produces smaller clusters and lower yields in addition to developing golden colorful skins opposed to the green skinned genetic selection used in the making of mass production inexpensive French options. Flavor profile. Citrus, green apple, white florals, otherwise relatively neutral tasting making it a perfect vehicle for salinity, flint, smoke, and minerals on the pallet.
*Winemaking- Fermented in neural French oak Burgundy barrels with native yeasts for one year. The barrels are then stirred and transferred to individual stainless-steel drums for an additional year of aging on lees. This allows enough time for the yeast to complete autolysis which releases their proteins and amino acids to the wine de
Bree and Chad Stock bring some serious experience to the Willamette wine scene. Chad (formerly of Minimus, Omero, and Origin) has a BA in Enology and launched his first wine brand “Minimus” in 2011, exploring viticulture and wine production theory across the state of Oregon. He is a top consultant in the state for minimal intervention winemaking. Bree has been a Master of Wine since 2016, holding one of the highest qualifications in the wine industry. For context, there are only 354 Masters of Wine in the world, and Bree is the only woman in the PNW with this achievement. She is also a certified WSET educator and sits on the boards of Assemblage Women in Wine and Demeter Biodynamic.