Xavier Durand calls it his best keeping wine. Made from grapes grown on the Corton hill, this Pinot Noir displays animal and robust qualities that reflect the marly clay and thick heavy soil of the lieu-dit.

• 

  Cheryl Bringuez

  Recommendation: open this bottle about 30 minutes before consuming. The nose was subdued at first, but developed as the bottle was open longer. Dusty cherry, fresh-cut flowers and a bit of mushroom come out on the nose and the mid-palate has great tart cherry that lasts through to the finish.

  Food pairing: Truffle parmesan french fries

Xavier Durand calls it his best keeping wine. Made from grapes grown on the Corton hill, this Pinot Noir displays animal and robust qualities that reflect the marly clay and thick heavy soil of the lieu-dit.

• 

  Deborah Adeyanju

  A distinctive, youthful nose suggests talc, red fruit, cloves, minerals, and baking spice. Good balance between somewhat angular tannins and tart fruit that suggests both precision and power. Packed with red fruit and mineral. A big, full-bodied, robust wine.

  Food pairing: Red meats

Grown like Boutières on the Corton hill, but on redder soils that elicit more substance and finer tannins from the Pinot Noir grapes, Les Chaillots is the more feminine and subtle of Domaine Durand’s two Aloxe-Cortons.

• 

  Colin Talcroft

  Delicate fruit and floral scents with just a hint of spice in the background, evolving after time in the glass toward toast, wood, and dark cherry mixed with mineral and herbal scents. Somewhat closed on the palate at first but with an attractive mouthfeel and a veiled but noticeable richness. Light tannins. Moderately long finish, marked by fuller fruit flavors and more apparent acidity, promises significant improvement after some cellar time. Likely to reward patience.

  Food pairing: Duck; roasted chicken dishes; rabbit or other game; mushroom or lentil dishes

Grown like Boutières on the Corton hill, but on redder soils that elicit more substance and finer tannins from the Pinot Noir grapes, Les Chaillots is the more feminine and subtle of Domaine Durand’s two Aloxe-Cortons.

• 

  Deborah Adeyanju

  Talc, floral scents, and mushroom aromas shape the nose. Offers red fruit flavors—both tart and ripe—with light spice notes on a delicate frame. Medium body. Likely to be more approachable in 2016–2017.

  Food pairing: Heavier (red) meats