The more you get to know the complex region that is Burgundy, the more it shocks and astonishes. One such surprise lies in the centre of the often overlooked village of Aloxe-Corton, in the Clos du Chapitre. This is the home of a rare beast – artisanal 1er Cru Red Burgundy that can be laid down for 10 -15 years for under £40 per bottle all in. Franck Follin is the architect, who produces an atypically seductive rendition of 1er Cru Aloxe Corton.
A Clos at the centre of the Aloxe-Corton village, Chapitre is an early ripening site with stony limestone-influenced soils where clay is far less dominant than it is in the rest of the commune. The grapes achieve full ripeness readily, yielding wines of elegance and harmony, quite unlike anything else in the appellation. This youthful roundness and charm means that the wines can be approached three or four years after the vintage, but also boast a remarkable capacity to age well in bottle for a good 10 – 15 years.
Read MoreThe last few years have yielded some extraordinarily delicious wines. In a recent vertical the 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 were all looking incredibly smart now, though each worthy of another decade of ageing in bottle. However, if there was one vintage that hits the sweet spot right now, it is the 2014. Aromatic, open and fresh with gripping but light touch fruit. A fragrance of cherry blossom and violet lure you in, and the palate seduces even further with the laciest of tannic veils overlaying sweet, juicy and refreshing fruit wild plum, damson and cherry characteristics. The fruit is beautifully soft and fluid, yet so bright and translucent. The most ethereal, easy to drink drop of Aloxe-Corton we can ever remember having…
Notes on production methods
Natural, careful winemaking is the order of the day: light manual work in the vineyard, free from herbicides or chemical fertilizers, followed by vinifications that are “as simple as possible” in Franck’s own words; attentive de-budding and pruning are crucial, as are ploughing the soils; grapes are harvested and sorted manually and de-stalked. After spontaneous fermentation the wine undergoes a two week cuvaison. Elevage is in a quarter new oak barriques between 16 to 20 months, depending on the vintage, with just one racking to remove the gross lees. Bottling is without filtration.
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