From: Chitry, Burgundy, France
Varietal: Aligote
Taste: This showcases a pretty pale yellow hue, bright and inviting. On the nose, it presents a bouquet of lemon curd, orange zest, and white flowers interwoven with lively, mineral notes. Upon tasting, the wine offers a tender attack with a vibrant lemony presence that develops pleasantly on the palate. It features a harmonious balance of weight and acidity, allowing the apple and pear fruit flavors to mingle seamlessly with the stony mentality. Fragrant and crisp, this unoaked wine is very balanced, with additional notes of green apples and refreshing lemongrass herb.
Pairing: This Aligoté pairs beautifully with seafood, such as oysters, clams, shrimp, and smoked fish, and with escargot, offering a refreshing counterbalance to the richness of these dishes. The wine's light herbal and mineral finish complements black cod's delicate flavors and enhances fried fish's taste.
For those who enjoy meat, this Aligoté pairs with sausage and fried chicken, bringing out the subtle flavors in goat milk cheese and crab cakes. The wine's herbal notes perfectly match the gyoza. It's also a fantastic choice for paella and various tapas, as its freshness cuts through the richness and complexity of these Spanish favorites. Salads and fresh produce stand to benefit from this wine's crispness.
The wine's freshness will cut through the richness and umami of the miso and fish in one of our favorite recipes: Miso-Marinated Black Cod.
Broiled Cod With Sesame-Miso Sauce
By Mark Bittman
About: For a long time, the leading French wine-growing department, Yonne in Burgundy, suffered the full brunt of phylloxera, the First World War, and competition in the market from wines from the south of France. Only a few villages close to Chablis and Auxerre with well-established reputations have preserved significant vineyard areas, and Chitry is one of them. Chitry-Le-Fort, as the original name suggests, was once a fortified town.
In the Middle Ages, the main road, La Grande Rue, formed the boundary between
the lands of the Count of Tonnerre in Champagne and the Count of Auxerre in
Burgundy. Back in the 19th century, the wines of Chitry were sold under the name of
Chablis, and in 1929, the wines were accorded the name of Bourgogne des Environs de
Chablis. Today, Chitry is one of four viticultural communes of the Auxerrois; wines
from here are labeled as Bourgogne or Bourgogne Chitry.