Self Isolation : Day # 37

2014 Domaine Follin-Arbelet Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru ‘Clos du Chapitre’

I love a good Burgundy. This narrow region running slightly northwest to southeast is home to some of the best and most sought after Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the planet. Planted on generally east-facing gentle slopes, vines have been tended to here for over five hundred years. The devotion of the Cistercian monks who meticulously noted minute differences in quality based on where the vines were planted laid the basis for modern appellation law. As a direct result of the segmentation of vineyard land Burgundy today is a patchwork of sub-appellations that reflect subtle changes in aspect, slope, and soil. Add to this the extreme fragmentation of land ownership thanks to Napoleonic inheritance law and the prices for the top wines are firmly in the stratosphere and out of reach for the average consumer. Thankfully there are still good deals to be had.

Able to trace his family’s roots in Aloxe-Corton to when the village was known simply as ‘Aloxe’, Franck Follin-Abelet is the first of his family to get into winemaking. Getting his start as recently as the early 1990’s he crafts honest, quality wines focusing on the diverse terroirs of Aloxe-Corton. The wines come to life in the basement-turned-cellar of the historic family home, constructed 1754, in the center of the village. The Pinot Noir grapes that find their way into this bottle are grown in a single vineyard called ‘Clos du Chapitre’, one of the premiere cru rated vineyards in Aloxe-Corton. Textbook in character with bright aromas of tart red fruit, mossy earth, orange oil, and clove it is a delight in the glass. Gentle tannins and bright acidity keep the wine lively on the palate and carry the red fruit and savory citrus notes through to the finish where hints of wild mushroom make a brief appearance.