Domaine Tollot-Beaut

The estate traces its vine-growing line to François Tollot, who began planting in Chorey-lès-Beaune in the 1880s. The compound name arrived a generation later, when François's son Alexandre Tollot married Aurélie Beaut, joining the two family names. Tollot-Beaut became one of the earliest Burgundy domaines to bottle its own wine, releasing estate bottlings from 1921 at a time when most growers still sold in bulk to négociants. Around 1930 the American merchant Frank Schoonmaker persuaded a small group of leading domaines to reserve wine for estate-bottling and export, and Tollot-Beaut was among the first estate-bottled Burgundies imported to the United States, alongside Armand Rousseau and Henri Gouges. The family cellars sit in the centre of Chorey on rue Alexandre Tollot, with parts said to be around 250 years old.

• François Tollot began planting vines in Chorey-lès-Beaune in the 1880s
• The name combines Alexandre Tollot and his wife Aurélie Beaut
• First domaine bottlings in 1921; among the first estate-bottled Burgundies sent to the US around 1930 via Frank Schoonmaker
• Cellars on rue Alexandre Tollot in central Chorey, parts of which are around 250 years old

Tollot-Beaut has stayed firmly in family hands across five generations. The estate is run today by three cousins: Nathalie Tollot, who handles the commercial side and represents the domaine internationally; Olivier Tollot, who oversees the vineyards; and Jean-Paul Tollot, who leads the winemaking. They succeeded a generation that included Nathalie's father Alain and his brother. The cousins have kept the house philosophy steady, with careful old-vine viticulture and a cellar approach geared to wines that are serious yet generous and approachable across the range. The estate's wide spread of holdings means the family works a comparative cross-section of the Côte de Beaune from a single base in Chorey.

• Run by fifth-generation cousins Nathalie, Olivier and Jean-Paul Tollot
• Nathalie leads sales and representation, Olivier the vineyards, Jean-Paul the winemaking
• They succeeded the previous generation, which included Nathalie's father Alain
• House philosophy emphasizes old-vine viticulture and serious but approachable wines

The estate farms around 24 hectares across Chorey-lès-Beaune, Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune and Aloxe-Corton, predominantly Pinot Noir with a smaller share of Chardonnay. The Grand Cru tier includes red Corton (around 0.6 ha) and Corton-Bressandes (about 0.9 ha), plus a small parcel of white Corton-Charlemagne (around a quarter of a hectare). Premier Cru holdings include Aloxe-Corton Les Vercots and Les Fournières, Beaune Grèves and Clos du Roi, and Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Lavières. Two monopoles set the estate apart: the Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru Champ Chevrey (about 1.5 ha, spelled in the singular on the label) and the Chorey-lès-Beaune lieu-dit Pièce du Chapitre. Village Chorey, Savigny, Beaune and Aloxe-Corton, along with regional Bourgogne, complete the range.

• About 24 hectares across four communes, mostly Pinot Noir with some Chardonnay
• Grand Crus: Corton (red, about 0.6 ha), Corton-Bressandes (red, about 0.9 ha) and a small Corton-Charlemagne (white)
• Premier Crus in Aloxe-Corton (Les Vercots, Les Fournières), Beaune (Grèves, Clos du Roi) and Savigny (Les Lavières)
• Two monopoles: Savigny 1er Cru Champ Chevrey (singular) and the Chorey lieu-dit Pièce du Chapitre

Tollot-Beaut farms its vines by hand and keeps yields moderate through old plantings and careful selection. The reds are almost entirely destemmed and fermented with twice-daily punch-downs in a cool cellar, before ageing in barrel; the proportion of new oak is modest for the village and regional wines and rises for the Grands Crus. The whites, led by Corton-Charlemagne, are barrel-fermented. The result is a consistent house signature of bright, concentrated cherry fruit, racy acidity and fine, velvety tannins, with oak used to add flesh rather than overt toast. The wines are accessible relatively young but the Premier and Grand Crus reward cellaring.

• Hand-harvested fruit; reds almost fully destemmed with twice-daily punch-downs
• Modest new oak for village and regional wines, rising for the Grands Crus
• Whites, led by Corton-Charlemagne, are barrel-fermented
• Signature of bright cherry fruit, racy acidity and fine velvety tannins

Tollot-Beaut is counted among the Côte de Beaune's most dependable estates, with wines that span every price point from approachable Chorey-lès-Beaune to age-worthy Corton Grand Cru, and the two monopoles give it expressions no other producer can offer. Beyond Burgundy, Jean-Paul Tollot co-founded a separate Languedoc estate with Anne Gros of Vosne-Romanée in 2006: Domaine Anne Gros & Jean-Paul Tollot, based at Cazelles in the commune of Aigues-Vives in the Minervois, where the pair were drawn to high-altitude limestone soils and old Carignan. The Minervois project, distinct from Tollot-Beaut, has become a respected southern French address in its own right and reflects the family's reach beyond the Côte de Beaune.

• Regarded as one of the Côte de Beaune's most dependable estates across all price points
• Two monopoles give the domaine wines available from no other producer
• Jean-Paul Tollot co-founded the Minervois estate Domaine Anne Gros & Jean-Paul Tollot with Anne Gros in 2006
• That Languedoc project, based at Cazelles near Aigues-Vives, is a separate estate from Tollot-Beaut