Chapuis & Chapuis Aloxe-Corton Rouge 2022

Chapuis & Chapuis, the partnership of brothers Romain and Jean-Guillaume, work the northern end of the Côte de Beaune in Burgundy, moving from Pommard into Aloxe-Corton to draw on this historic ground. This Premier Cru is Pinot Noir farmed organically with a natural approach in the cellar. The Aloxe-Corton slopes sit on limestone and marl with iron rich clay at the base of the Corton hill, soils that give the grape both red fruit and an earthy backbone, while the 2022 fruit reached a fuller 14.5 percent. Pinot Noir is thin skinned with little colour and tannin, so the wine relies on gentle extraction, then ages fifteen months in oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange rounds the structure and adds a fine spice. The colour is bright red, the nose offering fresh cherry and ripe raspberry lifted by a hint of black pepper, with rose and damp earth beneath. The palate is medium bodied and silky, with bright acidity, fine tannin and a long, savoury finish framed by gentle oak. Serve at 16 degrees in a large glass, decanted briefly. It pairs with roast duck, beef fillet and mushroom dishes.