The 2016 Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Vercots is a small production not because of frost, but since half the vineyard was replanted a decade ago (it will be reintroduced into the blend starting in 2017). It has a generous bouquet with blackberry, bilberry and light seaweed scents that develops in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with plump red berry fruit laced with white pepper and sea salt, very well focused with appreciable tension on the finish. Excellent—as good as the 2015 last year.

The 2015 Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Les Vercots is limited to just six barrels, since half the vineyard has been replanted with young vines. It has a very delineated, floral bouquet that demands more coaxing from the glass than the village cru. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, very well-judged acidity, a dash of white pepper with good depth and concentration on the finish. This is a very delicious and complex Aloxe-Corton in the making.

Now sourced from the vines planted ten years ago, since half of the vineyard was pulled up in 2012/2013, the 2014 Aloxe Corton 1er Cru Vercots offers lovely raspberry and strawberry fruit on the nose, showing more density than the Village Cru. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin. This is nicely structured, focused and tensile with a brisk and minerally finish that completes an excellent Aloxe-Corton.

The domaine pulled up the old vines in this vineyard in 2013 and so this is the first vintage from just the young vines, around 10 years old, although half were hit by hail. The 2013 Aloxe-Corton les Vercots has a lifted floral red berry nose that opens nicely in the glass. The palate is fresh and lively on the entry, with slightly savory red berry fruit, grainy tannins and a pointed truffle-tinged finish. Despite the absence of old-vine material, this might actually be my preference among Tollot-Beaut's Aloxe-Cortons.

The 2012 Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Les Vercots includes vines planted as far back as 1928, augmented by young vines joining them in 2004. It is more introspective on the nose compared to the more outgoing village cru, but it opens nicely with patisserie aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity, tart red cherry fruit and an elegant, nicely focused finish with a long tail. Those ancient vines will lend their class, although I suspect it will benefit from around five years bottle maturation. This was my second visit to Domaine Tollot-Beaut – ever. The first was circa June 1997, a milestone in my career since it constituted the first winery that I ever visited. As I quipped to Nathalie Tollot on my return some 16 years later, I know a bit more than nothing about wine. Nathalie herself looks about the same age as she did back then, petit with jet-black hair, slightly Mediterranean looking perhaps, probably takes I.D. with her whenever ordering at a bar. She is one of Burgundy’s most personable vignerons, the kind you fancy going out for a beer with after work. Nathalie actually started her tenure back in 1987, five years after Jean-Paul who is married to Anne Gros in Vosne-Romanee and three years prior to Olivier making the trio of current co-proprietors. They farm approximately 23 hectares mainly close to their winery in Chorey-les-Beaune, including several premier crus and three grand crus. Much of their vineyards are planted at a comparatively high density to other growers at around 11,000 vines per hectare, they eschew chemical fertilizers but will spray if absolutely necessary, completely de-stem their crop, skip cold maceration and practice a short cuvaison. I remarked to Nathalie that in Burgundian terms her winery has positively acres of space, to which she replied that she is grateful for the foresight of her ancestors (indeed, Tollot-Beaut was one of the first domaine’s to bottle their own wine back in the 1930s.) After we had tasted through the reds, we returned to the ground floor level to finish with their Corton-Charlemagne. Unfortunately, Nathalie could not find it. “I’m sure it was up here,” she says in similar to fashion to you and I losing our car keys. After five minutes of searching, she gives up and one assumes she later found her Corton-Charlemagne down the back of the sofa. This is a reliable source of quality wines from Chorey-les-Beaune. Occasionally I feel that the level of new oak can be a little too conspicuous. There certainly lend the wines a modern sheen, if not modern to their core. The aromas and flavors at this address might be described as “strident” and some might argue that they lack subtlety. Nathalie feels that the wood just needs time to fully integrate and having tasted mature examples of her wines I can understand her point. The nuance here develops in bottle as those tannins melt away, so do not be afraid to allow them to age. Chorey-les-Beaune and Aloxe-Corton are two appellations that did relatively well in 2012, two that continue to offer great value for money. I would include Tollot-Beaut’s consistent wines within that category. Importer: Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines (NY) tel. 1 707 738 22 55 (Jonathan Nahrgang). Also available through several merchants in the UK included Justerini & Brooks, Berry Brothers & Rudd and Howard Ripley.