2019 Domaine Tollot Beaut Beaune "Clos du Roi 1er Cru", Burgundy, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

This wine shows high-toned and lifted aromatics of dark fruit, flowers, and herbs, with minerals and notes of vanilla and spice from aging in 50% new Burgundian pièce. The vines were planted in 1978, 1982, and 1987.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

The Tollot family represents a long lineage of winegrowers dating back to the late 1880s when François Tollot began planting vineyards in Chorey-lès-Beaune. Today, cousins Nathalie, Jean-Paul, and Olivier Tollot are in charge. The wines of Tollot-Beaut are well-known for their serious but pleasing style across a range of appellations from Bourgogne to Grand Cru.

Chorey-lès-Beaune lies on the plains below the Cote d'Or escarpment with 336 acres almost exclusively planted with Pinot Noir. Initially, the Tollot family owned vines only in Chorey, but successive generations made small acquisitions in Savigny-lès-Beaune, Aloxe-Corton, and Beaune for a current total of 60 acres.

Beaune Clos du Roi (whose name refers to King Louis XI who appropriated this vineyard upon the death of Charles the Bold, the last Duke of Burgundy) is a premier cru lying in the northern section of the Beaune amphitheater where the wines tend to be fresher and finer than wines from the southern section.