2022 Aloxe-Corton, Domaine Tollot-Beaut, Burgundy

More crimson than purple. The fruit is just perfectly ripe, not too exotic, quality pinot more elegant than most village Aloxe wines are. Good acidity behind, a few tannins but nothing rustic.Drink 2027 - 2033Jasper Morris MW, insideburgundy_com (October 2023)

The 2022 Aloxe-Corton Village comes from four separate parcels that are vinified together. With a mixture of red and blueberry fruit on the nose, this is initially timid but gains confidence with aeration. The medium-bodied palate has fine tannins. It’s a composed and harmonious Aloxe-Corton. Perhaps all that is missing, and it is only a niggle, is a bit of length.Nathalie Tollot welcomed me to her Chorey-lès-Beaune winery, one I have been visiting for two decades now. “We had hail twice in the same week on June 22 and 25, so we have lower yields in Chorey-lès-Beaune, losing around one-quarter of the crop. The rest of the growing season was fine, picking from August 25 and finishing around ten days later. There was a little rain before picking, around 24mm on August 18, which helped the vines. The vinification was normal, being careful about temperatures during fermentation, while everything was de-stemmed as usual using a Pellenc [de-stemming machine] that does not crush the berries. We’ll start bottling next January for one month.” Burgundy mavens in some quarters rather look down their noses at Tollot-Beaut. Maybe it is because they heed neither fad nor fashion, sticking to 100% de-stemming and fashioning what some deem a more ‘commercial’ style of Pinot Noir. The mavens overlook that these are delicious wines that, I can vouch from much personal experience, mature with grace. This was one of the best ranges I have tasted from Tollot-Beaut; their 2022s are imbued with perhaps just a tad more finesse and terroir expression than recent vintages. “Normally, I don’t like the hotter vintages,” Tollot says, “but I really like the 2022s.” Readers should check out the Beaune Grèves or Corton-Bressandes and feel free to age them as they see fit.Drink 2025 - 2034Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (January 2024)