Louis Latour Les Chaillots Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru

The Latour family has vinified red Burgundy at the foot of the Hill of Corton since vine ownership traceable to 1731, and their Corton Grancey Cuverie — built 1832–1834 as France's first purpose-built winery — remains the operational heart of this Premier Cru. Les Chaillots sits on the south-east face of Corton on red chalk, clay and marl soils; the iron-rich clay fraction drives the darker-fruited, more structured character that distinguishes Aloxe-Corton Premiers Crus from the lighter soils of Beaune. 100% hand-harvested Pinot Noir, fully destemmed and crushed, undergoes approximately 14 days of fermentation in one of 45 large open wooden vats on the first floor of the Grancey Cuverie, with manual pigeage and gravity-only transport throughout. Aging proceeds in 15–35% new French oak barrique, medium toast, 10–12 months — barrels coopered in-house from French oak air-dried 24–36 months. The defining house transgression: all reds are flash-pasteurised at approximately 72°C for 2–3 seconds before bottling, eliminating fining while ensuring microbiological stability — openly acknowledged, critically debated, categorically unique among major Burgundy houses. The 2022 vintage delivered warm, generous fruit with sufficient structure for medium-term development; drink 2026–2034.