2015 Puligny-Montrachet “Les Chalumaux”Comtesse de Chérisey
France | Burgundy
$120
Producers
Domaine Follin-Arbelet’s wines are a revelation. This red’s vibrant acidity gives it an edge of bright freshness, while the beautiful Pinot Noir fruit is sensationally smooth and graceful. Burgundy enthusiasts will appreciate the total purity and finesse in this translation of Aloxe’s terroir. It can certainly be cellared for a few years, though I appear to have appended to my tasting notes, in awe, “Drinkable now—very much so!”
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2017 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Pinot Noir |
Appellation: | Aloxe-Corton |
Country: | France |
Region: | Burgundy |
Producer: | Domaine Follin-Arbelet |
Winemaker: | Franck Follin |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1950s, 1969, .8 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Enjoys a long, slow élévage before being bottled unfined and unfiltered |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
Domaine Follin-Arbelet France | Burgundy | Aloxe-Corton
Domaine Follin-Arbelet France | Burgundy | Pernand-Vergelesses
Domaine Follin-Arbelet France | Burgundy | Corton Grand Cru
Domaine Follin-Arbelet France | Burgundy | Corton Bressandes Grand Cru
Domaine Follin-Arbelet France | Burgundy | Aloxe-Corton
Domaine Pierre Guillemot France | Burgundy | Corton Grand Cru
In eastern central France, Burgundy is nestled between the wine regions of Champagne to the north, the Jura to the east, the Loire to the west, and the Rhône to the south. This is the terroir par excellence for producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The southeast-facing hillside between Dijon in the north and Maranges in the south is known as the Côte d’Or or “golden slope.” The Côte d’Or comprises two main sections, both composed of limestone and clay soils: the Côte de Nuits in the northern sector, and the Côte de Beaune in the south. Both areas produce magnificent whites and reds, although the Côte de Beaune produces more white wine and the Côte de Nuits more red.
Chablis is Burgundy’s northern outpost, known for its flinty and age-worthy Chardonnays planted in Kimmeridgian limestone on an ancient seabed. Vézelay is a smaller area south of Chablis with similar qualities, although the limestone there is not Kimmeridgian.
To the south of the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise extends from Chagny on its northern end, down past Chalon-sur-Saône and encompasses the appellations of Bouzeron in the north, followed by Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny.
Directly south of the Chalonnaise begins the Côte Mâconnais, which extends south past Mâcon to the hamlets of Fuissé, Vinzelles, Chaintré, and Saint-Véran. The Mâconnais is prime Chardonnay country and contains an incredible diversity of soils.
Domaine Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy | Chablis
Domaine Larue France | Burgundy | Saint-Aubin
Domaine Bertheau France | Burgundy | Chambolle-Musigny
Domaine Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Marsannay
Comtesse de Chérisey France | Burgundy | Puligny-Montrachet
La Soeur Cadette France | Burgundy | Vézelay
Comtesse de Chérisey France | Burgundy
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Marsannay
Domaine François Lumpp France | Burgundy | Givry
Domaine Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy | Chablis
Comtesse de Chérisey France | Burgundy | Meursault
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312
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