Corton Grand Cru 2022 – Domaine Tollot-Beaut

To produce the Corton Grand Cru Domaine Tollot-Beaut fermentation lasted for 14 days in open concrete vats, with daily punching down of the cap. Temperatures did not surpass 32°C. The wine was transferred into French oak barrels, of which 50% were new. The wine was racked once following malolactic fermentation and aged for 16 months before bottling.

The grapes come from the ‘Les Combes’ climat in the Corton Grand Cru vineyard. This walled site is located on the lower slopes of the Corton hill. The vines face south-east and are guyot trained. The vineyards are ploughed and the family practices la lutte raisonée.

Domaine Tollot-Beaut, located in Chorey-lès-Beaune, was started in 1880 by François Tollot. The fifth generation of the family, Nathalie Tollot and her di lei two cousins, Olivier and Jean-Paul, now oversee the domaine. Tollot-Beaut was among the first producers in the Côte d’Or to start bottling its wines at the domaine, in 1921. They own a total of 24 hectares across four communes: Chorey-lès-Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Beaune and Aloxe-Corton. Their wines range from Bourgogne through to Grand Cru. They own eight hectares in Chorey-Lès-Beaune, which is by far their largest holding, and are the proud owners of two monopoles, Savigny-lès-Beaune ‘Champs Chevrey’ and Chorey-lès-Beaune ‘Pièce du Chapitre’. They also have almost a hectare of Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru. The vineyards are plowed and they practice ‘la lutte raisonnée’. With some of their older vines dating back as far as 1928, the grapes are hand-picked. All their Pinot Noir is destemmed and fermented in stainless-steel tanks. Fermentation typically lasts for 10 to 12 days and pigéage takes place twice a day. Over the years, the use of oak has become much subtler, intended to season the wines and amplify their delicate fruit character. The wines typically stay in barrel for 16 to 18 months with up to 20% new oak used for the village and regional wines and 50% new oak for the Grand Crus. Their cellars are cooler than most in Burgundy after they installed an air-conditioning system 20 years ago; they keep the temperature at 14 ° C, whereas it used to be 18 ° C. This lower temperature helps preserve the fresh fruit that characterises these wines.