Follin-Arbelet Estate

Located in the heart of the village of ALOXE-CORTON, Domaine FOLLIN-ARBELET cultivates and produces a superb range of wines from the commune and its surroundings, comprising three red Grands Crus, one white Grand Cru, four red Premiers Crus, and one Village wine. The wine list showcases the finest terroirs of the CORTON hillside. These fine wines are the culmination of exceptional terroirs, perfectly brought to life through meticulous and natural cultivation, simple and unpretentious winemaking, and expertly managed ageing and bottling processes, with no stage of the process being overlooked.

History

Franck Follin comes from an old family in Aloxe-Corton that once owned prestigious vineyards. However, he is the first descendant to devote himself to viticulture and winemaking. After completing his higher education in Geology in Montpellier, he chose to return to Burgundy. He began in 1990 with his first plot of Aloxe-Corton, which he leased. This was followed by Premiers Crus in 1993, and then Grands Crus.

Today, Domaine Follin-Arbelet produces wines from the following appellations:

• ALOXE-CORTON Village appellation
• PERNAND-VERGELESSES 1er Cru ‘En Caradeux’
• PERNAND-VERGELESSES 1er Cru ‘Les Fichots’
• ALOXE-CORTON 1er Cru ‘Clos du Chapitre’
• ALOXE-CORTON 1er Cru ‘Les Vercots’
• CORTON Grand Cru
• CORTON BRESSANDES Grand Cru
• CORTON CHARLEMAGNE Grand Cru
• ROMANEE SAINT VIVANT Grand Cru

The cellars and vinification facilities are situated in the centre of the village of Aloxe-Corton, in a magnificent and striking setting. The beautiful family estate, built in 1764, features typical Burgundian architecture. The first and second floors house the residence, whilst the ground floor accommodates the shop and vinification facilities, with the cellars located in the basement. The cellars, undoubtedly the deepest in the village, are particularly cold and damp. A well has even been dug there. These conditions are admittedly sometimes a little spartan for wine tasting. On the other hand, they are particularly beneficial for the production and ageing of fine wines.

In the vineyard, in the cellar

To produce wines that best reflect the character of their terroir, the utmost care is taken at every stage of the winemaking process. The vineyard plots are ploughed several times. No weedkillers or chemical fertilisers are used. Pesticide treatments are carried out only when necessary and are performed in calm weather. That is to say, on windless days, using small, light tractors to avoid compacting the soil. Great care and attention are taken during pruning. Debudding and trellising generally ensure that the grapes are in perfect condition and have reached excellent ripeness by harvest time.

The manual harvest takes place over a week at the Follin-Arbelet estate. The grapes are selected and sorted as they are picked, then transported in crates by regular shuttle services to prevent crushing and maceration. The Pinot Noir grapes are 100% destemmed and placed in vats. Each plot is vinified entirely in its own open oak vat. After a few days of maceration at 15°–17°C, alcoholic fermentation begins naturally thanks to indigenous yeasts. This is followed by two weeks of vatting, during which punching down, pumping over and, if necessary, light chaptalisation are carried out.

Once fermentation is complete, the wine is drawn off and the pomace is pressed in a pneumatic press. The press juice obtained is blended, either in full or in part depending on tasting, with the first wine for a settling period of 24 to 48 hours. All the wines are then transferred by gravity to the cellars beneath the winery, into oak barrels: between 15% and 75% new barrels are used each year, depending on the appellation.

The Chardonnay grapes from Corton-Charlemagne are pressed whole immediately after harvesting. The must is then transferred directly to barrels after a night of settling. Alcoholic fermentation takes place entirely in barrels over a period of several weeks, or even several months.

The ageing periods vary from 16 to 20 months depending on the appellation and vintage. An initial racking is carried out one year after malolactic fermentation to remove the first coarse lees. A second racking takes place before bottling to blend the different barrels of each cuvée. This racking, carried out with the utmost care, then allows for bottling without filtration, as the cool cellar temperature aids in the wines’ natural clarification. Only the white wines may be fined before bottling. This absence of filtration, which is more delicate to carry out, preserves the wines’ richness and complexity as well as their ageing potential. However, a slight sediment in the bottles is always inevitable.

A few photos of the Follin-Arbelet estate

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In accordance with the Public Health Code, wines, sweet wines and beers have an alcohol content of between 3% and 18%