2020 Follin-Arbelet Pernand-Vergelesses Les Fichots

Domaine Follin-Arbelet is in the village of Aloxe-Corton. The 15-acre domain is owned and run by Franck Follin-Arbelet, who took on management of the estate after his father-in-law André Masson retired in 1993. Franck and his wife Christine make red and white wines and farm sustainably. Their cellar is underneath the 18th century house where they live, and the cellar is therefore especially cool and humid, both advantages for aging wine. Domaine Follin-Arbelet produces four Grand Crus and four Premier Crus. The Grand Crus parcels are in Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Corton-Charlemagne, Corton-Bressandes, and Corton. Wine write Clive Coates the domaine “an address to note.”

Pernand-Vergelesses is an 870-acre appellation sometimes overshadowed by its famous neighbor to the east, Aloxe-Corton. Depending on the time of the day, Le Montagne de Corton literally casts a shadow over of the village of Pernand-Vergelesses, which has fewer than 400 people. Pernand-Vergelesses appellation wines can be red or white, and its most renowned wines are the Grand Crus it shares with its neighbor Aloxe-Corton. About 25% of the Grand Cru vineyard Corton-Charlemagne is within the Pernand-Vergelesses appellation. There are six Premiers Crus, they produce much of the wine of Pernand-Vergelesses and nearly 75% of what they produce is Pinot Noir. Many of the vineyards face northeast, meaning that inhospitable weather can be particularly challenging for growers. Robert M. Parker Jr. notes “in good vintages a top Premier Cru Pernand-Vergelesses will be a relatively rich, rustic, concentrated wine that is often compared to that of its nearby neighbor, Savigny-Lès-Beaune.”

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.