by Patrick Ogle

Celine & Laurent Tripoz Fleur Aligoté NV has a nose with a  bit of a mustiness. But not the unpleasant mustiness of somewhere dank or fetid. No, this is just a hint of that mustiness of a long closed box made of fine wood. Some might even think of it as earthy but, to me, it is a more homey sort of sent. There is also something tropical--a whiff of pineapple.

Fleur Aligoté has a tart taste with a slightly bitter finish and a wee but of funk. LIke that musty scent this isn't a defect but a strength in this wine--it stands out from many mundane cremants. This is a sparkler worth remembering. There is something almost dusty, chalky. The "pineapple" is more noticeable when you taste especially as the wine warms a bit. I probably sipped it a bit too cold out of the gate. There is also citrus here especially tart lemon.

This is not like a Champagne or even a Cremant de Burgogne. It is closer to some  Loire pet nats or even American wines made in that style (this is not a pet nat despite this comparison).

Aligoté is the "second" white grape of Burgundy, generally overshadowed by chardonnay. There are reasons for this to be so but aligoté varietal wines--still or sparkling--have their own place and their own taste. They are not so much "inferior" to a chardonnay as they are different. Perhaps not as versatile or age-worthy in most cases but there are many worthy wines (usually moderately priced) using the grape.

Tripoz has been making wine for the past 27 years (before that selling grapes to local Burgundy cooperatives). Their grapes all grow in the area of Loche in Maconnais and their wines are grown and created using the most natural practices possible. The land, the weather and the clay/limestone soils shine through in all of their wines--or those that I have tasted at least.

When you hear "pet nat," and we have written on this before, it means Petillant Naturel (aka Ancestral Method). This is a method of making sparkling wine that predates Method Champagnois. The basic difference, without going into too much detail, is that Champagnes are made from wines fermented to dryness, then those wines are bottled, have sugar and yeast added, and a second fermentation begins in the capped, but not corked, bottle. Pet nats do not ferment the wine to dryness before putting the wine in the bottle. The fermentation continues and since fermentation creates CO2? You get bubbles.

Some pet nats, like this one, you will find a bottle cap instead of a cork. This also shouldn't frighten you. Champagne is also capped just like this for the secondary fermentation (the cap is removed, the bottle topped off and re-sealed with a cork in the case of Champagnes). Pet nats have become trendy of late; you will see them from a variety of areas around the world. They method isn't the only thing different from Champagne. These wines have a different character but that character varies from wine to wine, area to area.