Review: 2012 Bartholomew Winery Aligoté

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Looking for a white wine that's a bit off the beaten path? This Aligoté from Washington State may just do the trick. Photo: Duane Pemberton

WASHINGTON, DC, March 13, 2013 - Aligoté  (ah lee go tay) is a Burgundy grape varietal that doesn’t get much play at all here in the U.S., and even in its native region of Burgundy, it’s primarily blended with other whites to produce “White Burgundy” or even sparkling wine. 

Bartholomew Winery is a small, family winery located in the heart of Seattle Washington and has been in business several years now. Locals appreciate the good values that are churned out from Bartholomew so it’s quite common to see quite a number of people in its tasting room. 

This 2012 Aligoté comes from the Snipes Mountain sub-AVA, which is located in the the much larger Columbia Valley AVA. Upland Vineyard is very well known by winemakers in Washington for having not just quality fruit but also a mix of different varietals that may be hard to come by in other vineyards. 

On the nose: Chalk-laced melon balls, white peach, asian pear, golden delicious apple and a hint of un-roasted almonds. 

On the palate: I believe many people would mistake this for a Chardonnay as it has many of the same characteristics. Fresh melon, kiwi, apple, pear and peach with a slight hint of minerality. Good acidity and a roundness of the mid-palate keep the wine tasting fresh and not overpowering at all – would pair very well with various cheeses, chicken Ceasar salad and pan-seared scallops.

Drink now or hold for up to 5 years.

W.E.P. Rating: 90%

Winery: http://bartholomewwinery.com/
Price: $20


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Duane Pemberton

I was raised in a middle-income family in Renton WA where I grew up eating a steady diet of Banquet frozen chicken, canned vegetables and food from the local grocery deli. We occasionally had over-cooked steaks which always required the use of enough A1 steak sauce to mask the flavor. Looking back on it now, it was more like we had grilled A1 and not grilled steak.

Fifteen years ago I started a site called Gamers Depot, which I suppose had some successes in its own right and was a well-recognized brand within the PC hardware and video game industry. During my tenure at GD, I traveled a great deal and was able to eat at all kinds of great restaurants. It wasn't too long after that, I found the Food Network - between watching copious amounts of Alton Brown and eating fine dining when traveling, I got the "food bug" which got me up and cooking.

Of course this meant that I would soon find the pure bliss of fine wines to go with the wonderful foods I was making. This newfound love and passion in my life has guided my desire to not only learn a lot about wine, but also to have worked briefly in the wine industry as a rep and met some of the best folks in the wine business anywhere.

Passions: Simply living the "Wine Lifestyle"

Credits:
*Founder of www.winefoot.com
*Wine judge at 2011 “Blend” in Seattle
*Wine judge at 2011 Cabernet Classic in Seattle
*Wine judge at 2011 Rose Revival in Seattle
*Wine judge at 2012 Sexy Syrah in Seattle
*Wine judge at 2012 “Blend” in Seattle
*Wine judge at 2012 Cabernet Classic in Seattle
*Worked the 2010 Crush at Pacific Rim Winery

Contact Duane Pemberton

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