Bourgogne Aligoté

🇫🇷 France

AOC

AOC 1937 - The Kir cocktail foundation, 1,700+ hectares of Burgundy's "other" white grape

0 venues 0 trails

Region profile

History

Aligoté preceded Chardonnay in Burgundy but fell from favor as Chardonnay proved easier and more commercially successful. In 1904, waiter Faivre at Café George in Dijon invented "Cassis Blanc" - white wine with blackcurrant liqueur. Mayor Félix Kir (1945-1968) served it at every official reception, promoting both local wines and cassis. The drink took his name posthumously. Today, serious producers prove Aligoté deserves more than cocktail duty - old-vine examples rival village Chardonnay.

Climate
Higher slopes and cooler sites across Burgundy where Chardonnay struggles; continental climate; often planted above Premier Cru zones where Aligoté's early ripening is advantageous
Signature wines
Domaine Ponsot Bourgogne Aligoté - 100-year-old vines produce complex wine rivaling village Chardonnay; proves Aligoté's potential when taken seriously; ~$25-40/bottle
What sets it apart
Foundation of the Kir cocktail named for Dijon's WWII resistance hero mayor who served it at official receptions; Burgundy's oldest grape variety now experiencing renaissance; old-vine examples challenge Chardonnay supremacy

Facts

  • 1,700+ hectares
  • Aligoté is Burgundy's oldest grape variety
  • Félix Kir (1876-1968), mayor of Dijon and WWII resistance hero, popularized the cocktail mixing Aligoté with crème de cassis - originally to make acidic wines palatable
  • Kir served it at civic receptions promoting local products
  • Bouzeron is the only village AOC for Aligoté

Region profile from the Wine Memories wine-data corpus · verified January 2026