From: Burgundy, France
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Taste: Hallelujah. We’ve finally hit on a red burgundy that’s “drinking well” right now. To be fair, this won’t last long, so get it while you can. At five years of age, this little charmer is hitting its stride and is well-integrated and oh, so pretty! On the nose, you’ll immediately become enveloped in a charming, heady, cloud of “Pinot.” Wild strawberries, raspberries, all wrapped up in a bouquet layered with notes of subtle earth, floral, baking spice and zesty orange notes. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied and silky smooth, with soft tannins and a vibrant acidity that gives it a refreshing and lively character. The flavors on the palate mirror the aromas, with those red berry notes in the forefront, complemented by hints of cinnamon and clove, and a delicate touch of earthiness that leads to a long and satisfying finish; a pleasant and lingering aftertaste of fresh red fruits and subtle spice notes.
Pairing: This joyous red wine might make you forget about food for a second, but before you guzzle down the bottle in celebration, please know: this red pairs well with a variety of dishes, and will taste even better alongside dinner. We’re sharing a list of pairing suggestions below, plus a recipe for a French classic: Poached Eggs in Red Wine (Oeufs en Meurette), recipe from Michael Harlan Turkell, adapted by Tejal Rao. If you’re open to indulgences, we recommend stirring in a little bit of foie gras to the dish. The addition amplifies the savory aspects of the dish and turns this classic into a special treat.
General pairings: This wine's medium body and soft tannins make it a great pairing for roasted meats, such as lamb or pork, and grilled poultry, such as chicken or turkey. It also goes well with a variety of rich pasta dishes, such as mushroom risotto or carbonara.
Regional pairings: The Burgundy region is known for its rich cuisine, and this wine pairs exceptionally well with classic Burgundian dishes such as coq au vin or beef bourguignon. It also goes well with local cheeses such as Epoisses or Comté.
Vegetarian options: The vibrant acidity and fresh fruit flavors of the 2018 Tollot Beaut Chorey-les-Beaune make it an excellent pairing for vegetarian dishes such as roasted vegetables or mushroom-based dishes. It also pairs well with creamy vegetable soups or rich quiches.
Poached Eggs in Red Wine (Oeufs en Meurette)
Recipe from Michael Harlan Turkell
Adapted by Tejal Rao
From the Burgundy Report’s Bill Nanson. Domaine Tollot-Beaut is one of a very select band of Côte d’Or domaines; around 1930 the pioneering American wine merchant, winemaker and author, Frank Schoonmaker*, convinced a number of high quality domaines to reserve a portion of their production for domaine bottling and then exporting to the US – wine that would otherwise have been sold to négociants. d’Angerville of Volnay, Gouges of Nuits and Rousseau of Gevrey are well-enough known members of that select band, fewer know that Tollot-Beaut of Chorey-lès-Beaune was another, indeed they actually made their first domaine bottlings in 1921.
The first-time visitor to Chorey-lès-Beaune is in for a surprise; travel only a little north of Beaune and despite all the vineyards apparently being to your left, you will be directed to turn right – Chorey is the only sizeable appellation to be sited on the ‘wrong’ side of the Route Nationale 74 – in-fact Gevrey-Chambertin is the only other well-known AOC that has any appreciable acreage of vines to the east of the RN74, however, Nathalie Tollot likes to point out that Chorey and its vineyards have been sited here much longer than either AOC’s or the RN74!
The village is relatively compact with a new housing development at one edge – the main feature from an architectural perspective is the Château de Chorey, home of that other strong proponent of Chorey, Domain Germain – and with rooms to rent. It’s actually even harder to find a defining feature from the vineyards – everything is just so flat – perhaps then, that’s the feature. The 136 hectares of Chorey are almost exclusively planted with pinot noir, less than 4% is planted to chardonnay – Tollot-Beaut have a small plot within the village which is classed as Bourgogne Blanc. For no apparent reason, there is a block of Chorey vines on the western side of the RN74 that dovetails between the ‘village’ vines of Savigny and Aloxe, the rest is to the east.
Over the years Chorey has often worn the label of Côte de Beaune Villages as it was easier to sell that way. Recently the Chorey label has become more popular with enthusiasts seeking value with pinot noir typicité – driven in the main by the quality of producers like Tollot-Beaut.
The 24 hectare domaine of Tollot-Beaut sits modestly in the centre of Chorey-lès-Beaune. Today the ‘front of house’ face of the domaine is Nathalie Tollot – who is, by the way, happy to converse with you in either French, English or German – yet there are many other Tollots to be seen in the cuverie and the vineyards; uncle Jack, father Alain and Nathalie’s cousins Jean-Paul and Olivier.
The domaine is sited on the rue Alexandre Tollot, named in honour of Nathalie’s great grandfather who was for many years the Mayor of Chorey. The Beaut part of the domain’s name comes from Alexandre’s wife – Aurélie Beaut.
Today Nathalie is the fifth generation to run a domaine that has been run from the same premises for over 100 years – since late 19th century – though parts of the cellars are as much as 250 years old. Initially the family owned vines only in Chorey, but successive generations made small acquisitions in Savigny, Aloxe and Beaune e.g. Corton Bressandes in the 1930’s, Savigny Champs-Chevrey in the 1950’s and much more recently their new ‘monopole’ Chorey-lès-Beaune ‘Pièce du Chapitre’.
No fertilisers are used. A green harvest is usually performed in the summer to limit yields. The grapes are harvested manually, parcel by parcel dictated by their ripeness, the only mechanical operation is the foliage thinning/tidying. Nathalie tells that 80% of their work is concentrated in the vineyards to get the best grapes, hand harvested and 99% de-stemmed and handled as lightly as possible to avoid crushing before going into the tanks. The tanks were fitted with the option of heating in 1968, nowadays it is cooling that they require! Typical fermentations last for 10-12 days with pump-overs in the first few days, then twice-per-day pigeage for the remainder.
For their Corton-Charlemagne, the grapes go through a pneumatic-press. Typically it’s a slow fermentation ~17-18°C, just before completion of the alcoholic fermentation the wine is moved into the barrels where they will stay for around 16 months. An average year will yield 5 barrels.
The use of oak at this domaine is worth comment as it has always been regarded as being on the generous side, but today it is to quite a subtle effect; there is no toast, rather there is padding out of the palate, an extra fatness and apparent richness that makes seemingly ‘glossy’ wines – it makes the wines very attractive in their youth with no apparent downside from ageing. The villages and regional wines stay in barrel for 16-18 months, and receive ~20% new oak, the quantity of new oak reaches a maximum of ~60% for the grand crus. Nathalie explains that the philosophy behind their oak regime is about cleanliness of winemaking, not oak flavour, she chooses barrels from Francois Freres, with a mix from the forests of Alliers and Bertranges.