If I were Nicolas, with my newfound cult status and without some of Burgundy’s more hallowed sites at hand, I’d be tempted to push my wines to all sorts of extremities. Perhaps extract a little more, or sprinkle a little more oak, or reduce yields radically in some way. The goal here would be to make it ‘loud’, that is to have enough volume to imprint my wines into the minds of drinkers who will likely ever taste them once per vintage (the wine in focus had just 866 bottles produced - talk about being a unicorn). Maybe I’d even go so far to challenge the status quo and make a Grand Cru-slaying Bourgogne!
I’m not saying Nicolas isn’t planning or already doing any of this, but drinking the 17’ Aloxe Corton certainly didn’t feel like it, and for that I loved it. There was a certain rawness to the wine which I adored. It felt like a wine he wanted to make - not one made for the collectors or critics, but one made for good times with his mates. It felt genuine.
On day one, the wine was such great fun. A tinge of reduction mingled with the aromatic galore of pitch-perfect whole cluster vinification, followed by pure, juicy red fruits wrapped in particularly fine, lacy texture. It was very ‘glou glou’ in short, and if not for an undeniable inner density that begged to be unpacked, it would not have seen the light of the second day. I’m glad it did though, because on day two it was a truly a wine to ponder. The whole vibe seemed to darken with a myriad of flavours - fresh flowers now melded in with smoky incense, red fruits with plums, and earthy notes and warm spices arised. The intensity too seemed seemed to have increased, yet the appearance of a new vein of minerality kept the wine so digestible. It was just such a pleasure to drink that by the end of it, I was left feeling a little sad that I do not have any bottles of this left in the cellar. Bravo, Nicolas! Don’t change. — 3 years ago
Perfect with tapas — 3 years ago
Lovely nose of pepper and ash. Ashy pepper? Haha. Red licorice and horehound on the palate, super light, and dissipates from the back of the throat. Super yummy this! — 3 years ago
Bone dry with beautiful cherry and floral notes and a long finish. — 4 years ago
Light but also not too heavy, right in the middle. Just enough body and not too fruity — 5 months ago
The last bottle from my cellar. No formal notes. This has become more black fruited; structure remains status quo. Apropos, this remains an delicious wine that begs for food. The RTW series from CCC and Lodi continue to be one of the wines I look forward to most each year. Drink now and over through 2030. — 2 years ago
This is a beautiful wine. Great color and nose. Fruit forward with great notes — 3 years ago
Spicy blackberry aroma, fresh tang and cherry finish. Just a hint of tannins. — 4 years ago
Matthew Cohen
Adam Lee
N: cranberry y fruit.
P: cranber y fruit. Delicious.
$15 Jj know 2 tier — 4 days ago