Aloxe-Corton
1er Cru Les Valozières 2019
Often presented as the little brothers of the Cortons, the Aloxe-Cortons enjoy a stronger reputation than the neighboring village appellations…
Origin
The Aloxe-Corton appellation covers 119 ha on the territory of the town of Aloxe-Corton and 8.5 ha on that of Ladoix-Serrigny, at the beginning of the Côte de Beaune. Nearly half of the vineyard area is classified as Grand Cru and no less than 17 classified Premier Cru. There are two types: those located on the Pernand-Vergelesses side and for the one that interests us The Valozières bordering the Grands Crus from below: the exhibition is perfect in the east, the land is quite heavy and deep giving wines a character structured and powerful. "Valozières" refers to the wicker that grew there.
Viticulture
Grape variety: pinot noir
Soils: mainly clayey deep soil.
Orientation: East
Surface area under vine: 0.2552 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 37 hL/ha
Average age of the vines: 55 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 18 September 2019.
The grapes were handpicked. First sorting in the vineyard, second on the sorting table upon receipt of the harvest.
At the winery: 50% of grapes were destemmed but not crushed (they were left whole) and were gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration with 50% whole bunches lasted a total of 21 days including 4 days of cold maceration (12°C). Fermentation used indigenous yeasts only (no additives such as enzymes or tannins were used). 3 punchings of the cap. Vinification without sulfur.
Ageing
Maturation: aged on the lees for 16 months with no racking using a proportion of 50% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been toasted at low temperatures for a long time for very delicate oaking.
Bottling
Bottling: the wine was not fined but was very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity in March 2021.
Number of bottles: 1,263.
Vintage
A legendary vintages?
According to Grégory Patriat, this second harvest at the Ursulines winery will go down as a legendary vintage just like 1969, 1979, 1999, 2009, and 2019, because the concentration in the wines is very high indeed. Years with drought and low yields are always great vintages in Burgundy. We had some new premier crus come online last year, with three in Chambolle-Musigny, one in Gevrey-Chambertin, and one in Nuits-Saint-Georges; Le Clos des Argillères. Furthermore, we revived our tradition of producing white wines in villages better known for their reds, with a white Fixin.
Ageing potential: From 5 to 10 yeras.
Tasting notes
The shiny color is garnet in color. This wine exudes elegant aromas of cherries and raspberries, with a floral and peppery touch. The palate, which combines density and delicacy, is marked by a beautiful freshness and a very good length!
