Follin-Arbelet Aloxe-Corton Les Vercots 1er Cru 2021

Franck’s ancestors owned vineyards in Aloxe-Corton, which they sold off towards the end of the 19th century. As a child, he spent holidays in the village, working part-time in the vineyards and, in due course, marrying a local girl, Christine. Her family had some vines – enough for Franck to set up as a vigneron in 1993, subsequently adding further vines through rental agreements. In 2017, Franck was joined at the Domaine by his son, Simon.

Franck favours the most simple and natural form of farming possible. The grapes are entirely destemmed and vinified in wooden vats for about two weeks. The wines are aged for 18 months in a barrel, initially with 20 to 25 percent new wood before racking into older casks after 12 months.

Les Vercots is an Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru vineyard in Burgundy. A handful of producers make Pinot Noir wines from fruit grown in the 4.19-hectare (10.35-acre) site. At least one, Domaine Meuneveux, makes a wine combing grapes from both Les Vercots and its northern neighbour Les Guérets. This wine is labelled as a generic Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru.