CRAFT + ESTATE PRESENTS

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1 2017 Selected and Imported by Winebow, Inc., New York, NY Photographs by Michel Joly Map courtesy of CRAFT + ESTATE PRESENTS Location: Corey-lès-Beaune Grape Varietals: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay This family-run domaine exudes warmth and hospitality, with a sincere willingness to share its wines and story. Its pyramid of wines, from regional to grand cru, is a reliable source of very good to exceptional red and white Burgundies. While the Tollot family defines their wine-making and winegrowing approach as pragmatic, their commitment to working closely with the land is obviously from the heart and soul. R E PUTAT I O N H IS TORY The heart of the domaine is Chorey-lès-Beaune, where the Tollot family has excellent success with charming Pinot Noir that offers good value. However, their most famous wines are Chardonnay from Corton-Charlemagne and Pinot Noir from the vineyards of Corton and Corton-Bressandes. The Chorey-Côte de Beaune red wine has the potential to age for up to 12 years, while the structure and flavors of the trio of grands crus Cortons made from old vines dating back to 1953 will reach optimum maturity in 10 to 20 years. Five generations ago, François Tollot began planting vineyards in Burgundy, and since the late 1800s the Tollot family has maintained a tradition of winemaking. François s son, Alexandre, bottled the first wine of Domaine Tollot-Beaut in In the 1960s, the family expanded the domaine and began to bottle all of the fruit they grew in their vineyards. The domaine has been passed down through the Tollot family, with committed involvement from each generation. Alexandre s son, Paul, had four children: Jack, Alain, François and Marie-

2 SAVIGNY-LÈS-BEAUNE ALOXE-CORTON T A.O.C. Village We use new oak for the purity of the barrel, not for the taste. BEAUNE CHOREY-LÈS-BEAUNE Odile. Jack s son, Jean-Paul, has been making the wine since 1982, and Alain s son, Olivier, joined him in He, along with 10 employees, also helps Jean-Paul in the vineyards. François s daughter, Nathalie, who began handling marketing and public relations in 1987, contributes greatly to the warm, approachable feeling of the domaine. The involvement of the next generation is on the horizon, with Jean-Paul s daughter, Julie, and son, Paul, studying enology in Beaune. GRAPEGROWING The domaine comprises about 24 hectares spread out over regionals, villages and premiers crus sites in Beaune, Savigny, Chorey and Aloxe-Corton, and three grands crus sites in Corton. Nathalie who loved working with her father in the vineyards when she was home on holidays from school and always knew that she d work with wine says that her generation has contributed an increased emphasis on restricting yields for quality and on not using herbicides. Fungicides are used only when absolutely necessary. The vines are planted at a high density of 11,000 vines per hectare and are trained in the single Guyot (with a long baguette (cane) for spacing out the shoots). From April to May, we work in the vineyard every day to remove excess buds on the baguettes and care for the vines, says Nathalie. And then from May to July we thin shoots and leaves to aerate the canopy to maintain vine health. Our mindset is to work hard to develop a rhythm with nature to care for the vines. We don t have only beautiful grands crus vineyards; we also have vineyards in Chorey-lès-Beaune. Here the land is flatter, with some heavy clay soils and more humidity, so the vineyards need more work. We re proud of this region because of the success we re having with wines from this area; they offer good quality and value. The south side is gravelly, which produces fruity style wines, while the north side yields wines with more body. Yet, both are charming and approachable, with supple raspberry and red fruit character. When the land is worked by hand, there is a connection between the worker and the work, Nathalie explains. Our purpose is to keep the vines healthy, and the vines respond by giving us delicious wines that age beautifully. It is humanity connecting with the earth. WINEMAKING After hand harvesting, the grapes are sorted in the vineyard because there is no extra space in the cellar. The gravity-flow, 250-year-old-cellar is at full capacity now with wines from 16 appellations. Nathalie divulges that the family s dream is a new, more efficient winery. RED WINES The Pinot Noir grapes are destemmed, but not crushed or cold soaked, and a selected yeast culture is sometimes added to the must. Fermentation takes place immediately in a combination of stainless steel and cement vats at a maximum of 32 C. During fermentation, both remontage (pump-over) and pigeage (punchdown) are used to re-suspend the cap of skins and extract aromas, flavors, color and tannin into the wine. The total cuvaison (fermentation and extended maceration) is between 10 and 15 days. After pressing, the wines are transferred to barrels for malolactic fermentation and an average of 18 months of aging. The villages red wines receive about 25 percent new oak, the premiers crus from 30 to 50 percent and the grands crus about 60 percent; the barrels are used for an average of three years. The oak is selected from François Frères, and the barrels are coopered with medium toast levels to give the wines vibrant cherry fruit expression the right amount of toasty, vanilla-scented new-oak character. WHITE WINES After the hand-harvested Chardonnay grapes are gently pressed, the juice begins fermentation in stainless steel tanks and then finishes in barrels. We use new oak for the purity of the barrel, not for the taste. Oak barrels are used more for rounding and texture than for aromas and flavors, says Nathalie. The premiers crus receive about 30 percent new oak, while the intensity of the grands crus merits 60 percent. During barrel aging, the wines undergo full malolactic fermentation for the conversion of crisper malic acid into softer lactic acid. To enhance the creamy texture, the wines age sur lie (on the lees) and are racked only once, usually in July. After 15 to 18 months of aging, the wines are lightly fined before bottling.

3 THE WINES Bourgogne Blanc Less than 4% of Chorey-lès-Beaune is planted to Chardonnay. Tollot-Beaut has a small plot within the village which is classed as Bourgogne Blanc with vines that were planted in 1956, 1962, 1986, and The wine is fermented in tank and spends a year in barrel for a year before bottling. Tollot-Beaut s Bourgogne Blanc shows the density and concentration expected of old vines with richness and texture on the palate balanced by bright acidity. The nose shows yellow apples, lemon, and white flowers with salty mineral notes and a hint of toasted brioche. Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne is a Grand Cru famous for its volume, weight, and texture thanks to its unique combination of soil and exposure. Tollot-Beaut s holding is in the lieux-dit of Les Renardes, an east facing climat with very chalky marl. Just five barrels are produced each year from vines planted in The wine was aged for 16 months in 60% new Burgundian pièce. This is classic Corton-Charlemagne with incredible weight, texture, and layers of mineral complexity. The wine shows aromas and flavors of white peach, apple blossoms, and salty minerality with toast and brioche from aging in 60% new oak barrels. There is always plenty of nerve and tension in Corton-Charlemagne, making a wine with excellent aging potential.

4 Bourgogne Rouge Tollot-Beaut s Bourgogne Rouge comes in part from 2 hectares that used to lie in Chorey-Lès-Beaune until the appellation boundaries were redrawn. The vines were planted between 1964 and 1984 and the resulting wine shows the richness and density typical of old vines. The wine was aged in 20% new oak barrels. The wine shows a delicate profile on the nose with aromas of red flowers, cherries, and sweet herbs. The palate shows the rusticity of the appellation but with unexpected richness and texture. Aging in 20% new oak barrels brings warm notes of vanilla and spice. Aloxe-Corton Les Vercots 1er Cru Aloxe-Corton Les Vercots 1er Cru is a special wine for Tollot-Beaut. Through 2012, this wine was produced from 50% old vines with some of the plantings dating to before WWII. Les Vercots is now produced from a ten-year-old sélection massale on deep soil with a high limestone content. The climat sits mid-slope on the Corton hill and faces due south. Tollot-Beaut s Les Vercots 1er Cru is rustic and robust with aromas and flavors of red cherries, spice, and earth with substantial weight and ripe tannins. It is aged for 18 months in 50% new Burgundian pièce. Aloxe-Corton The village of Aloxe-Corton sits at the foot of the Corton hill and is known for giving good-value red Burgundy that performs above its village-level status. A good Aloxe-Corton (pronounced Ahh-losse) will show some of the same structure, weight, and complexity found on the Grand Cru above. Tollot-Beaut s Aloxe-Corton is from vines planted between 1973 and The wine shows aromas and flavors of red cherries, red plum, violets, and earth with bright acidity and moderate tannins. It is aged for 18 months in 25% new Burgundian pièce. Beaune-Clos-du-Roi Premier Cru Capturing the essence of the Beaune character, this wine is sourced from the Clos-du-Roi vineyard, which lies at the northern border of the appellation. Fruit driven, with good ripeness and balance, this wine displays red-berry aromas that complement the supple, silkytextured flavors. Six or more years of bottle aging will round out the flavors and add refinement to the finish. Chorey-lès-Beaune Most of the wine grown in Chorey-lès-Beaune is bottled as Côte de Beaune-Villages, a catchall appellation that allows several villages to blend their red wines together. Tollot-Beaut is proud of their village and produces this classic example from vines planted between 1992 and The wine spent 18 months in 25% new Burgundian pièce. A good Chorey-lès-Beaune should display aromas and flavors typical of red wines from Beaune with red fruits and flowers coupled with freshness and minerals. Tollot-Beaut is bright and perfumed with red cherries and slightly coarse tannins. This is a classic rustic red wine. Beaune-Grèves Premier Cru Les Grèves is a premier cru located in the central section of the Beaune amphitheater where the wines tend to have more body, power, and potential for long aging. In Old French, Grèves referred to the sand and gravel found in this climat. Les Grèves combines this power with finesse and complexity making it among one of the very best premier crus in Beaune. Les Grèves is voluptuous and structured with aromas and flavors of bright red fruit and mineral notes. The flavor is intense and powerful but is delivered on the palate with finesse. Aging in 30% new Burgundian pièce brings notes of vanilla and spice. The vines were planted between 1969 and 1987.

5 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Lavières 1er Cru Les Lavières is named after a flat piece of stone called lave. This is one of Savigny s best premier crus despite its northeastern exposure. Savigny sits in a small east-west valley perpendicular to the côte. Vineyards on the Beaune side tend to give more richness and concentration whereas vineyards on the Pernand side (where Les Lavières is located) tend towards delicacy and perfume. Savignylès-Beaune Les Lavières is soft, supple, and delicately scented with strawberry aromas and flavors and an underpinning of minerality. Aging in 30% new Burgundian pièce brings subtle notes of vanilla and spice. Les Lavières can mature early and offers excellent nearterm drinking. Corton Grand Cru Corton grands crus wines are considered the biggest red wines of the Côte de Beaune in terms of their tremendous flavor depth, the grip of their authoritative tannin structure and their need to be aged. While the Corton Grand Cru is considered second division for the red wines, the Tollot-Beaut offering, which comes from Les Combes, displays elegant, liqueur-like aromas of red and blue fruit, with warm earth nuances. The rich, powerful flavors continue the highly extracted fruit and earth expression, supported by massive, muscular tannins. The domaine ages this wine in 60 percent new oak to balance the fruit intensity. While austere in its youth, it will greatly reward more than a decade of cellaring. Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru Corton is a grand cru vineyard to which the names of single vineyards are often added to specify the location more finely (lieudit). This Corton-Bressandes wine shows the aromatic elegance typical of the Bressandes vineyard, with red-berry, plum and wet-stone aromas. The rich, expansive flavors are well focused, culminating in a finish with substantial minerality. Like all Corton wines, this one will greatly benefit from a decade or more of bottling aging.