2019 Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc, Domaine Follin-Arbelet, Burgundy

Domaine Follin-Arbelet

Franck’s ancestors owned vineyards in Aloxe-Corton, which they sold off towards the end of the 19th century.

As a child, he spent holidays in the village, working part-time in the vineyards and, in due course, marrying a local girl, Christine. Her family had some vines – enough for Franck to set up as a vigneron in 1993, subsequently adding further vines through rental agreements. In 2017, Franck was joined at the domaine by his son, Simon.

In the vineyard
Franck favours the most simple and natural form of farming possible. The grapes are entirely destemmed, vinified in wooden vats for about two weeks. The wines are aged for 18 months in barrel, initially with 20 to 25 per cent new wood before racking into older casks after 12 months.

Pernand Vergelesses

Pernand-Vergelesses is a beautiful, small village tucked away behind the hill of Corton. Coming from Beaune, you have the Vergelesses and excellent Ile des Vergelesses vineyards on your left, facing due east, and the Corton-Charlemagne vineyards on the right, facing south-west. The red wines of Pernand (60 percent of production), excepting the two Vergelesses vineyards, can be on the austere side while the whites are racy and mineral.

Pernand-Vergelesses is an excellent source for fine Burgundy at a relatively affordable price. Jadot have registered their own name, Le Clos de la Croix de Pierre (The Stone Cross), in a vineyard which is shown on the maps as En Caradeux, facing the mighty hill of Corton. The lower part of the slope is an excellent site for Pinot Noir, while whites are grown on lighter soils higher up.

• 138 hectares of village Pernand-Vergelesses and 57 hectares of Premier Cru
• Recommended producers: Chandon de Briailles, Sylvain Loichet, Louis Jadot

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is the "Big Daddy" of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world. It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.

Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.

Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.