Wine Spectator 96 Points. The hallmark of their wines is a striking purity of fruit.
This wine has aromas of rich red berries and violet. On the palate, the tannins are fine grained, giving the wine great structure. The flavours are layered and complex, with toasty notes from the oak lingering on the finish. Hedgerows, bramble and damson fruit all vie for attention on the nose with a leafy character too. The palate is equally as complex, with pleasing concentration and silky elegance.
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 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 ploughed and they practise ‘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.
The Grand Crus truly live up to their status with power and concentration. The Corton-Charlemagne walks the line perfectly between elegance and power, with racy acidity and exceptional fruit concentration on the palate. It demonstrates Tollot-Beaut's skill at making outstanding white as well as red Burgundy.
To produce the Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru Domaine Tollot-Beaut fermentation lasted for 14 days in open concrete vats with gentle daily punching down of the cap. The wine was transferred into French oak barrels, of which 50% were new. It was racked once following malolactic fermentation and was aged for 16 months before bottling. Domaine Tollot-Beaut own one hectare of vines in Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru.
They have almost a hectare of Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru. The vineyards are ploughed 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
This wine is best enjoyed with lamb, beef, or poultry dishes.
