Aloxe Corton Les Boutières 2024 Domaine des Croix

The Aloxe-Corton Les Boutières 2024 from Domaine des Croix is a complete Pinot Noir offering intensity, precision of fruit and well-balanced oak: sour cherry and wild red fruits, fresh rose and soft spice, with a lovely woody structure. An Aloxe-Corton that is fruited, with beautiful depth and rare elegance signed by David Croix, Beaune's rising star. Harvested in confidential quantities, the grapes from these 60-year-old vines retain admirable natural concentration and deliver a superb expression of fruit refined by elegant tannins, with a long finish that speaks to the potential of this bottle.

Terroir and the parcel

The climat Les Boutières sits in the southern part of the Aloxe-Corton appellation, bordering Chorey-lès-Beaune and Savigny-lès-Beaune, at the foot of the famous Corton hillside. This peripheral position relative to the hill's Grand Crus gives it a distinct character, more approachable in its youth than the Cortons above it, yet with the depth and structure to evolve beautifully over time. The soils are rich in red clays mixed with brown limestone, giving Pinot Noir regular ripeness and a firm but silky tannin structure. David Croix notes a denser, more coppery robe than his other cuvées, a wider and more open nose, with subtle menthol sensations and a light pepper note in return, the characteristic signature of this climat. Organic viticulture since 2008. Hand-harvested with two successive selections. Fermentation with 35 percent whole bunches, indigenous yeast in wooden vats. Ageing for 21 months on lees in barrels with measured use of new oak. Unfiltered and unfined.

Tasting profile

The robe is a dark ruby red with coppery reflections, dense and bright. The nose reveals a deep bouquet of black cherry, blackberry and peony, enhanced by notes of undergrowth, fine spice and warm stone. Sour cherry and wild red fruits, fresh rose and soft spice complete this bouquet of remarkable richness and precision. On the palate, the substance is ample and velvety, the tannins firm yet polished, and the long, mineral finish confirms the imprint of Aloxe-Corton's terroir. The palate is particularly deep and voluptuous, with generous tannins and remarkable persistence. The subtle menthol and pepper note characteristic of this Boutières climat adds personality and distinction.

The domaine

David Croix comes from Montlouis-sur-Loire. A graduate of Dijon's Master's programme in oenology in 2001, he founded Domaine des Croix in the heart of Beaune with a clear vision: to craft wines that are the purest expression of terroir and vintage. The domaine's seven hectares are among Burgundy's brightest rising stars. His wines are seductive and delicious, with serious depth, layered textures and fine structure.

Food pairings

This Aloxe-Corton Les Boutières pairs beautifully with rack of lamb with Provençal herbs, duck with cherries, grilled rib steak with wild mushrooms, game birds such as partridge with cabbage, or aged cheeses like Époisses or Soumaintrain. Drink now through the next ten years. Served between 16 and 17°C with light decanting advised, it will reveal all the spicy depth, generous fruit and natural minerality of an Aloxe-Corton signed by Beaune's undisputed rising star.