Franck Follin-Arbelet said that he began harvesting on either 3 or 4 September with the whites. He did not do a green harvest over the summer. The whites came in "not that high" in volume, the reds were roughly at maximum allowable yields. Alcohols ranged from 12 to 13.5º natural and there was very little chaptalization.
Two cuvées finished malo-lactic fermentation in December, the rest in June, July, and even August. He expects to bottle the wines in spring 2019.
We start with the red wines:
2017 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Fichots
This wine has pure cassis fruit that is tight and fresh with excellent drive and energy. The wine also has structure, firmness, and acidity. It will take some aging. The vines here date from 1976 and 1985. (90-92)
2017 Aloxe-Corton
The Aloxe-Corton shows dark fruits, especially cassis, with kirsch and good depth. There’s less tannin showing here than in the Fichots, but more breadth. Very good purity and definition here. The vines are 50 to 60 years-old. (90-92)
2017 Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Clos du Chapître
The Aloxe-Clos du Chapître has breadth similar to the village Aloxe, but more finesse, even though it is somewhat more closed. The wine shows good freshness and acidity. (91-94)
2017 Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Les Vercots
The Aloxe-Vercots is a more straightforward wine than the Clos du Chapître with intense cassis fruit and good freshness. As one would expect, this is more of a vin de garde due to its structure. (91-94)
2017 Corton
Follin-Arbelet’s Corton has red fruit aromas. The mouth shows chalk, raspberries and other red fruits, good structure and freshness. The wine has length, elegance, precision, and depth. It is a wine for those who appreciate red grapes from white soils. (93-95)
2018 Corton-Bressandes
The Corton-Bressandes is darker in fruit than the Corton, and the body shows more weight and is more enveloping. But this wine is not as nervy as the Corton. There’s good freshness here and a good tannic structure, but not enough so that one has to wait twenty years for the wine. (93-95)
2017 Romanée-Saint-Vivant
The sensuality of Romanée-Saint-Vivant is on display here with the dark fruits. There is some underlying tannin, but not enough to make the wine hard or aggressive. The wine has great freshness, a smooth texture, length, and completeness. (95-97)
In white:
2017 Pernand-Vergelesses
This is a new parcel for Follin-Arbelet, and the vines were planted only in 2015! Very young vines can sometimes give wines that are delicious early on, and that is the case here. The wine is mineral in the nose and mouth with some sucrosity of texture, but not too much. The wine is pure, medium-light in weight, and fresh. (89-91)
2017 Corton-Charlemagne
Last, the Corton-Charlemagne has a deep, pure nose with lime and floral aromas. The mouth shows good acidity, finesse, freshness, length, and lightness on the palate. This appears to be a Corton-Charlemagne that can be enjoyed relatively young, say, 3-5 years after the vintage. (93-96)