Tag Archives: wine

The other White Burgundy – Aligote!

16 Wednesday Oct 2024

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I love pasta dishes and have posted many on Instagram. But tonight, I took some quality spaghetti, a simple jar of pasta sauce, and some fresh frozen shrimp and it was great. A quality protein – whether its a meatball or some fresh shrimp – can turn these two other simple ingredients into something delicious and even special.

Same goes for the wine. I love White Burgundy (Chardonnay) but the really good stuff is quite expensive. The other White of Burgundy is Aligote. It’s smooth and flavorful and a wonderful wine.

A friend, a server at a downtown high-end Indy restaurant, recently brought me a bottle of Aligote that was part of a distributor tasting. If you find Aligote at your local wine shop, you’ll probably pay $20-$35. I looked up this bottle and found retail ranging from $38 to $54. The website has a retail price of $55. What immediately caught me eye was producer Remi Jobard is based in Mersault, a true premier region for White Burgundy.

The Jobard wine comes from 40-year-old vines and is mostly aged and finished in stainless steel. Some old oak is also used. The grapes come mostly from Macon with some from Pulgny-Montrachet. So the wine has an obvious pedigree.

The wine is full bodied and this one was super smooth. A great bottle of wine that would pair with anything. Aligote is affordable. Look for it at your favorite wine shop.

Buellton: My First Wine Bloggers Conference

10 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by in California, Wine Education/News/Updates

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BUELLTON, Ca. – You may have never heard of Buellton, California, but odds are you’ve heard of Santa Barbara or perhaps the biggest wine movie ever – Sideways. The movie was about two guys story of friends, search for love, and fascination with Pinot Noir.

Buellton sets about 40 minutes north of Santa Barbara in one of the most underappreciated wine regions of California. I’m here this weekend for the Wine Blogger’s Conference. Nearly 300 wine writers will hear speakers, participate in symposiums and try to absorb massive amounts of the region’s wines.

WBC14_800They pour and pour frequently at these events. No need for a long rundown of the agenda. I’ll be blogging most nights as my chain hotel Wi-Fi permits. This is my first WBC. It has been in Napa, Sonoma, Oregon/Washington, Virginia and more. It just felt like it was time to hear some of these speakers and panels on wine writing and how the very best do it.

My summer of work, wine and personal travel will continue when the conference ends Sunday. I’m going to head up to Paso Robles, about an hour and a half away, and spend a couple nights there and one day exploring Paso’s wine country. I visited in Paso in 2010 and was blown away with the wine quality for price point. I’m also going to scout a bit for a possible future Grape Sense wine tour.

Then Tuesday I’m going to make the long drive up around the bay to Sonoma and Napa. I will be seeing a couple of old friends and do a winery stop two only for my enjoyment! I’ll probably write something about those stops – but this is vacation and fun.

I will be writing, posting to Facebook, and Twitter Friday and Saturday during the conference. Please comment and share!

Ertel Winery Does Sweet Right

03 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Indiana, Uncategorized

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Indiana has about 70 wineries. It seems like I’ve visited many of them but a quick count shows only 23! I’ve tasted wine from some of the others but only keep track of those I’ve set foot in and tasted the wine and had the full experience.

A small tasting bar greets visitors as they step into the large lodge-like winery.

A small tasting bar greets visitors as they step into the large lodge-like winery.

I notched my 23rd visit over the holiday weekend. I visited Ertel Cellars Winery just south of Batesville while visiting family for Thanksgiving. It’s easy to be taken by the beautiful winery and restaurant atop a small hill and the nearby vineyard. It’s one of Indiana’s prettiest winery settings.

Details about the visit are on the Indiana Winery Page linked at the top of the blog.

In short summary, the Ertel brothers do sweet wines right. I’ve written here many times I have no palate for sweet wines but try to assess them fairly. These wines were well balanced with a purity of the fruit. They are sweet – and no that’s not a redundancy. Some of Indiana’s top winemakers are trying to retain the fresh fruit taste on the palate and reduce residual sugar. But for those who like fruit and sweet, you’ll enjoy Ertel wines.

TripAdvisor reviews were very kind to the restaurant

TripAdvisor reviews were very kind to the restaurant

The Traminette was very nice but again quite sweet. The Chambourcin is often my benchmark for Indiana wineries and Ertel gets it right. Indiana wineries grow lots of Chambourcin but many make a truly awful wine by harvesting at the wrong time and not producing the beautiful light-bodied wine that holds up great against more established names and regions.

The Ertel $16 estate-grown Chambourcin is a nice, locally-made wine.

One of the more impressive things is a beautiful restaurant and interesting menu. I didn’t eat there but will on a future trip to Southeastern Indiana. The winery is perhaps a 10-minute drive off I-74 so a great stop if you’re driving to Cincinnati. The estate fruit is largely producing sweet wines, but if you like that flavor profile you’ll like Ertel Cellars.