Aligote is a white grape that is used to produce white wine varietals. These are often used to produce white wine blends in Burgundy called Cremant de Bourgogne. The region uses nearly 15% of Chardonnay grapes to blend with Aligote to create blended white wines. Because Aligote adds acidity, it is often blended with Sacy. In Burgundy Aligote is often planted in the poorer vineyards at the bottom and the tops of the vineyard sites because land is often lost to other prestigious grapes in Burgundy. Aligote can tolerate the cold and ripens quite early. The wines that are produced using Aligote grapes can be consumed quite young and are very high in acidity. The aroma of wines made with Aligote grapes feature elements of lemons and apples. In the village of Bouzeron the best examples of Aligote are grown and represent the best examples in the entire region. Aligote is the second most popular grape variety in Burgundy with Chardonnay at the top of the list. The vines used to be blended with Chardonnay, but have since been separated. Aligote is found in the Rhone Valley and in the Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence as well as parts of Eastern Europe.
Full, well-balanced, mineral, with a hint of flint aromas. Lemon and lime flavors.
The parcels are located in Puligny Montrachet and Pommard.
Poggio San Polo Podernovi Brunello di Montalcino is made from Sangiovese.
Intense ruby red in color with garnet hues, clear and glossy. The bouquet exhibits typical aromas of violets and small red berries. Subtle nuances of forest undergrowth, aromatic wood, a touch of vanilla and jammy mixed fruit then give way to subtle hints of coffee. This Brunello is intense, persistent, broad and heady. Full-bodied and warm on the palate, with a densely-woven texture and robust body, it has a persistent finish with well-rounded tannins. The particular features of the terroir at San Polo produce a Brunello with a capacity for lengthy aging, while patient cellaring enhances the wine during ageing in the bottle.
Review:
Lovely purity of fruit with ultra fine tannins and depth, finesse and complexity. Black cherries, cedar and some flowers. It’s full-bodied with very fine tannins that drive the finish. Give it a year or two to open more, but already so enticing. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 96 Points
The San Polo 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (with 8,000 bottles produced) is a textured wine with hearty fruit and touches of smoked meat and spice. At its core, the wine offers dark fruit, blackberry and ripe plum. The rich fruitiness of the wine cedes to campfire ash, mahogany and furniture wax. These results are sultry and even a bit flashy, with distant background tones of teriyaki and plum sauce. The wine is fermented in cylindrical oak fermenters and aged in oak for three years. We'll see this bottle hitting the market sometime after February 2021.
-Wine Advocate 95 Points
Manoir du Carra Bourgogne Blanc Le Soly is made of 100% Chardonnay. Average 50 year old vines.
The nose shows step by step fruity, smoky and mineral aromas. A slight oaky hint in the end with a lingering finish: those are typical Chardonnay aromas.
The wine is estate bottled.Ageing is done on fine lees during 3 to 5 months. About 40% of the wine has its alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in oak barrels (new, one, two or three wine barrels) with a weekly “Bâtonnage” (lee stirring) during 6 months. In the end, the wine in the barrels is blended with the wine in vats. Manual harvest of very ripe grapes. Selection of the best grapes on a vibrating sorting table, light pressing. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in cold stainless-steel vats.