Domaine Follin-Arbelet Aloxe-Corton 2010: Exquisite ruby-burgundy color with translucence; rich, ripe cherry on the nose; bright red fruits, tart cherry, spice on the palate;
medium body, smooth; polished tannins, reserved acidity, balanced; deliciously elegant Burgundy (pinot noir) from a commune (the smallest administrative division in France, typically governed by a mayor and municipal council) in the Côte-d’Or (Golden Slope), one of the great wine regions on earth. Whew. Notice translations are needed when you describe Burgundy. The Aloxe-Corton wine legacy may stretch to 775 AD when vines were planted after a land grant from Charlemagne; the commune is tiny, located on the side of Corton Hill; less than 200 people live there; there are 13 wineries. The wines come to America via Kermit Lynch, one of the world’s greatest negotiants and wine merchants. The wine is made by Franck Follin-Arbelet in a winery-home dating to 1764. Franck and his wife Christine live on the second and third floors, the winery is on the first floor, and the deep wine-aging basement is both cool and humid, perfect for Franck’s old-school style of wine making. (Note many Burgundy winery backstories date to time when US was British colony.) All farming is sustainable, no synthetic fertilizers or weed killers, soil is worked regularly to keep it aerated and healthy. Franck prides himself on a slow élévage from fermentation to unfined, unfiltered bottling. Élévage is French term for progression from fermentation vat to bottle, sometimes explained as a wine’s adolescence or education; élévage often is critical to allowing juice to achieve its full potential. This delightful bottle achieves. Taste it to learn everything about the stark difference between a soaring Burgundy/pinot noir pleasure and a cheap California “pinot noir” commodity pour. $62
Winery website; you need Google translation if you don’t read French
Second photo: Follin-Arbelet Aloxe-Corton winery/home.
