Profile: Domaine Tollot-Beaut (Chorey-lès-Beaune)

Update 7.10.2009(12.9.2006)billn

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’.

*Frank Schoonmaker landed in Spain with his bicycle as a seventeen year-old, it was a little after the end of the first world war. From his saddle, as befits the son of a New York professor of Latin, he quickly assimilated both Spanish and French, later becoming a columnist for the New Yorker. Following the end of prohibition he was also instrumental in the movement to revive winemaking in California. About 1930, Schoonmaker became the first to import ‘domaine bottled’ burgundies into the US.

winemaking plus a selection of wines

Every vineyard is treated as an individual. The domaine chooses to plow, and at the end of every year pushes a layer of soil over the feet of the vines for the winter then pushes the soil back in the spring – this helps to aerate the soil as much as shielding the base of the vine from some of the winter cold.

The Tollot-Beaut CrusHectares Vines planted in…
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru0.24121965
Corton Bressandes Grand Cru0.91211953, 1955
Corton Grand Cru0.60261930, 1985
Aloxe-Corton Les Vercots 1er Cru0.78861928, 1964, 1980, 1985
Aloxe-Corton Les Fournières 1er Cru0.88191974, 1977, 1980
Beaune Grèves 1er Cru0.59421969, 1987
Beaune Clos du Roi 1er Cru1.09791978, 1982, 1987
Savigny-lès-Beaune Lavières 1er Cru1.98571943, 1944, 1983, 1993
Savigny-lès-Beaune Champ Chevrey 1er Cru1.46021955
Aloxe-Corton1.88871973, 1985, 1993
Beaune0.28041987
Savigny-lès-Beaune0.65241956, 1987, 1992
Chorey-lès-Beaune Pièce du Chapitre1.4670~1950
Chorey-lès-Beaune8.28491956, 58, 62, 63, 76, 77, 92, 98
Bourgogne Rouge1.20051963, 1970, 1975, 1984
Bourgogne Blanc1.76071956, 1962, 1986, 2001

capsuleNo 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.

The following wines were drunk during July, August and September 2006, the 2004’s and the 1991 Champs Chevrey at the domaine with Nathalie, and the rest at home with food and friends. The wines are heartily recommended.

2004 Tollot-Beaut, Chorey-lès-Beaune  try to find this wine...
A wine which combines several parcels from around the village. Deep, comfortingly ripe nose. Lots of interesting high-toned fruit and though there’s a slight grain to the tannin, this is very accomplished for a ‘basic’ wine. Very tasty.
2004 Tollot-Beaut, Chorey-lès-Beaune Pièce du Chapitre  try to find this wine...
A deep, slightly tight nose of mainly black fruit that opens-out to provide a red dimension. A little extra concentration and finer tannin; quite elegant with a well-concentrated mid-palate. Nicely balanced and a tasty step-up from the basic Chorey-lès-Beaune.
2004 Tollot-Beaut, Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Lavières  try to find this wine...
An open, sweet cherry nose. Again an extra density on the palate. Fine tannins with a perceptible extra length to the finish. The vines are a mix of ages; planted in the 1950’s, 1980’s and 1990’s. A lovely elegant effort which shows just a hint of cream on the finish.
2003 Tollot-Beaut, Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Lavières  try to find this wine...
Deep cherry-red. The nose starts a little foisty – sulfurous funk, not taint – some oak too. Just a few minutes of aeration and it is much cleaner; there is width and a mix of savoury and tight red & black fruit elements and some oak, clearly 2003 from the aromatics. Quite dense vs the other vintages, relatively low acidity but there’s a very sneaky length. The texture is actually very good, there are plenty of grainy tannins but they are hidden behind the concentrated fruit. It’s not my favoured style but it has been executed very, very well. The oak whilst ever-present eventually gives a slightly black-olive edge to the wine.
2002 Tollot-Beaut, Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Lavières  try to find this wine...
A wild cacophony of red and black fruit over oak greets your nose, slowly focuses to bright black cherry eventually with a sweet, creamy edge. This is likewise black-fruit dominated in the mouth with more than a trace of oak flavour, but no bad oak texture. Super acidity and a finish that for most of the trip is also a little oaky then surprises with a creamy flourish. There’s just a little more wood evident here than with the other wines, but there’s also depth, good texture and great balance. This wine is showing very young – I wouldn’t hesitate to leave this 5 years before revisiting, the base material is very good.
2001 Tollot-Beaut, Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Lavières  try to find this wine...
Medium ruby-red. The nose starts bright and red, powdery fruit with currently just a little savoury undertow, shows a nice core of intensity. Lovely texture, perfect acidity and good mid-palate intensity. The acidity elongates the finish though here lies the only negative, just a little bitterness at the very end. I expect that this is a transitory oak effect that will improve. An excellent wine I think.
2000 Tollot-Beaut, Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Lavières  try to find this wine...
Medium, medium-plus ruby-red. A nose of wide and sweet red fruit with just a suggestion of high-toned fresh mint. The impact is very up-front and indeed front-end loaded, slowly fading through the mid-palate and finish – but the finish holds-on well. There is good ripeness and a nicely accessible presentation. A diminuendo of a wine, no hard edges, though not much structure either, yet very nice aromatics indeed. Still no rush to consume.
1999 Tollot-Beaut, Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Lavières  try to find this wine...
(From magnum) A deep core of colour that’s just holding onto the last trace of cherry-red. Aromaticly this is both wide and deep – the high notes are a little floral and the depth is of red jam tarts. The palate has good density yet somehow remains rather compact. The texture has just an edge of fat and plenty of tannin though it’s quite fine for a Savigny. The fruit is black-edged and really does hang-on very well in the finish. Certainly young, but lots of potential – everyone enjoyed this wine – three more are ordered for the cellar!
2004 Tollot-Beaut, Savigny-lès-Beaune Champs-Chevrey  try to find this wine...
A tighter, finer core of black-shaded fruits on the nose – some depth too. A super fine texture to the palate, just a little more padding than the ‘Lavières’- again dark shaded fruit. I always liked this wine, and here is no exception.
1991 Tollot-Beaut, Savigny-lès-Beaune Champs-Chevrey  try to find this wine...
Medium ruby-red – looks lovely in the glass – quite young looking. The nose starts slightly feral followed by a deep chocolate note, then a savoury stage before a baked raspberry tart core remains constant. Nice fat, round in aspect it’s well balanced with lovely acidity and real complexity. Still some tannin, the finish slowly fades. Lots of interest here – do yourself a favour and don’t always drink these young!
2004 Tollot-Beaut, Beaune Clos du Roi  try to find this wine...
High-toned fruit over a depth of dark fruit with hints of oak. Nice texture, lovely purity; the tannins are a little more forward but still quite fine. A super wine.
2004 Tollot-Beaut, Corton Bressandes  try to find this wine...
The nose is both wide and deep, powdery red fruit, but very primary. Big and bold of flavour, but the tannins are quite elegant. There is a really intense concentration on the mid-palate that flows into the finish. Very good wine – and worth a couple of bottles in the cellar.
1976 Tollot-Beaut, Aloxe-Corton  try to find this wine...
Clean and bright, medium, medium-plus colour – a mahogany rim but clearly still a ruby-red core. From opening this was just a little monolithic on the nose; faint baked fruit and a savoury undercurrent. If you wait – over 1 hour – the nose tightens to a very nice and tight powdery red fruit impression The palate is surprisingly plush and intense – it’s hard to keep hold of the wine, as your mouth starts watering in response to the acidity. I’m very impressed by the balance here. Slowly some sweetness builds to counterbalance an edge of tartness in the finish. The tannins are still there and quite chewy. This is a surprisingly robust and healthy wine – just like the label says, this is a village wine so no real fireworks or mind-bending length, but it’s always interesting to drink a wine that was harvested around your 14th birthday!


Domaine Tollot-Beaut
rue Alexandre Tollot
21200, Chorey-lès-Beaune, France
Tel : (33) 380 22 16 54
Fax : (33) 380 22 12 61

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

There are 20 responses to “Profile: Domaine Tollot-Beaut (Chorey-lès-Beaune)”

  1. Paul Anderson20th November 2006 at 6:57 pmPermalinkReply

    I have just glossed over this report Bill and it is superb. Tollot-Beaut is one of my favourite Burgundy producers and have tasted with Nathalie on many occasions. Burgundy holds the highest percentage of wines in my cellar and Tollot-Beaut the highest percentage of Burgs. They are definitely wines for the long term and I find even the village wines need about 5 years or more (I just had the Savigny village 1996 a couple of weeks ago) and the grand crus need 10+ years depending on vintage. Have you tried their Corton-Charlemagne?

  2. bill nanson20th November 2006 at 7:11 pmPermalinkReply

    Have you tried their Corton-Charlemagne?

    Not yet, but what is life if you’ve nothing to look forward to?

  3. Andrew Martin11th December 2006 at 3:29 amPermalinkReply

    I must say I’ve noticed a real improvement in the depth and concentration of the domaine’s wines since 1999 when the packaging changed as well – the oak now seems better balanced by good, pure and nicely weighted fruit.
    A tasting of the 2005s from their immaculate barrel cellar was a delight – despite a little reduction, which a racking will perhaps cure, the individual site flavours and tannin ripeness were spot on – a lovely tour of Savigny, Beaune and Corton and all at their busiest time of year in September. A warm welcome for some weary antipodal travellers – even with Australia’s ludicrous wine taxes these wines will look like good value.

  4. Phil13th March 2007 at 8:23 pmPermalinkReply

    Bill was there any mention of their Beaune Blanches Fleurs ? and if so is it a 1er or village ?

    tks
    Phil

  5. Berry20th May 2007 at 12:38 pmPermalinkReply

    Hi,

    Last year I visited the museum of Georges Duboeuff and I tasted the Bourgogne 2001 (red) from Domaine Tollot-Beaut. Now I’m searching for their email adress to ask if this wine is for sale in the Netherlands. Can somebody help me with the email adress of Domaine Tollot-Beaut?

    Kind Regards,
    Berry

  6. bill nanson20th May 2007 at 1:27 pmPermalinkReply

    Hi Berry,

    The telephone number is +33 3 80 22 16 54, or fax +33 3 80 22 12 61

    Cheers, Bill

  7. Berry20th May 2007 at 8:06 pmPermalinkReply

    Hi Bill,

    Thanks for the quick response. I already found the phone and faxnumber, but I was looking if there was an emailadress.

    cheers,
    Berry

  8. ledfree22nd September 2007 at 1:39 amPermalinkReply

    i am holdign on to a bottle of corton bressandes grnad cru 1987. any suggestions and any idea what the current value may be

  9. bill nanson22nd September 2007 at 8:44 amPermalinkReply

    Perfect provenance – maybe €30-40 as it’s not such a sought-after vintage. Only for interest if it spent several years on a kitchen shelf…

  10. dr. clifford b. fisch4th February 2008 at 6:52 pmPermalinkReply

    the 1998 aloxe corton is being heavily discounted. is it still enjoyable?

  11. bill nanson4th February 2008 at 7:05 pmPermalinkReply

    Dear Clifford, the opportunity to test a sample is always the favourite way forward, that said, I would expect village Aloxe to be close to peaking from this vintage where many wines are becoming friendly. Should hold for 5-10 years though.
    I’d certainly buy a few in ‘heavy discount’ circumstances – check their storage provenance though – 7-8 years is a long time for stock…

  12. Mark Dignam4th August 2008 at 8:39 amPermalinkReply

    Re: Tollot Beaut Corton Charlemagne
    I drank a bottle of this last week, being the 1998 vintage.
    While 98 was not generally reputed to be a great white Burg vintage, this wine was a powerhouse. It was a good light gold colour, with a nose of fennel, nuts, toast, honey and stone fruit.

    The palate was almost overwhelming in its power and intensity, with a lot of viscosity. There was good balance and mineral complexity. It took all night to drink it – a sipping wine that dominates the senses. I think it will easily last another decade.
    An excellent wine that may be too much of a good thing for some??

  13. bill nanson5th August 2008 at 2:27 pmPermalinkReply

    Hi Mark
    You know, I never tasted the CC, but everyone comments that it’s a big-un. I remember Neal Martin telling me that the 04 (I think) was the best CC he tasted in all the en-primeur tastings for that vintage…
    Cheers

  14. rhonda thomas3rd November 2008 at 3:26 pmPermalinkReply

    We have a 2004 Corton Grand Cru – how long should it be bottle aged. thanks.

    • billn20th November 2008 at 5:07 pmPermalinkReply

      Hi Rhonda – you could drink it now or any time over the next 15+ years provided you store it well. Real maturity wll be at least ten years away.
      Cheers

  15. Jeff Franklin11th April 2009 at 6:40 pmPermalinkReply

    Just happened onto your website from Wine Searcher Tasting Notes. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.

    I have a bottle of the 2004 Beaune-Greves Premier Cru and was wondering if it’s ready to be enjoyed. Thanks.

  16. billn14th April 2009 at 11:35 amPermalinkReply

    Hi Jeff,
    2004’s are generally open for business and have a nice ripe fruit profile to support them – in particular for T-Beaut, this is probably just the amount of time you need for the oak to fade into the background.

    The only issue will be if your sensitive to the ’04 character’ or not. If you are, I wouldn’t touch a bottle for at least 5 years, if you’re not – enjoy 😉
    Bill

  17. lapin-rouge23rd December 2013 at 8:04 pmPermalinkReply

    2006 Tollot-Beaut, Chorey-lès-Beaune: Glass in front of me (Dec 23 2013). Rather excellent, very drinkable indeed. Oak not apparent, superb balance, nose is (surprisingly) quiet although there is sweet crabapple, rowen, and on the palate definite plougastel strawberries.

    Don’t mess around with grand cru’s, worry about vintages or get stupid regarding ‘current value’ – seek out a case of this vintage and thoroughly enjoy it. Exceptional.

  18. Trevor Ford11th November 2016 at 9:31 pmPermalinkReply

    Just (November 2016) opened a long-lost bottle of the 1987 Chorey. Still lovely …

  19. MrD1st September 2018 at 7:35 pmPermalinkReply

    Hello. I came across a 1984 Corton-Bressandes. Drinkable still you think..?

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