2018 Bourgogne Rouge

Nathalie Tollot greeted me at her Domaine in Chorey-lès-Beaune on a crisp October morning. "The harvest began on 28 August and we picked over the next week. The first vineyard picked were the two Beaune Premier Crus as they tend to ripen earlier. Within one week the potential alcohol had increased by an entire degree. Yields were around 45hl/ha, 10% less than 2017. We wanted to preserve the freshness so picked as quickly as possible. The alcohol is around 13.5° and 14.0°. Corton-Bressandes was picked on 31 August at 14.5° potential alcohol. I would prefer to have more normal growing seasons. In this vintage the power is unusual, but unlike 2003 you can still tell each terroir."