Domaine de l’Arlot Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘1er Cru Clos des Forêts Saint Georges’ Monopole 2018

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

The Style of the Wine
With its well-defined character, this wine perfectly illustrates the identity of the Nuits Saint Georges vineyard. Complex aromas of blackcurrant mingled with spicy blackberry are revealed on the nose with, depending on the vintage, darker notes of liquorice, leather and blood orange. The well-built mouth affirms itself with density and strength around a tight structure with rich, well-wrapped tannins. It becomes increasingly seductive over time, which comes from the elegance, intensity and purity of the fruit.

The Terroir
In Burgundy the monopoly (single estate vineyard) defines a unit of land, a terroir which has been perfectly defined for centuries and which is owned by a single proprietor. The Clos des Forêts Saint Georges covers a surface of 7.2 hectares, all in one piece. It is a unique terroir in a privileged location which right from its origin has made one of the greatest Nuits Saint Georges wines.

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The Clos des Forêts Saint Georges covers the entire geological range of the slopes of Nuits Saint Georges: Ladoix limestone at the bottom, Premeaux limestone in the middle, and white oolite limestone in the upper part, with a marked presence of ochre silt in some places. This Clos is planted entirely to Pinot Noir.

Traditional vinification: A manual harvest, minimal vatting, pumping over and punching down without excess to reveal the full aromatic range drawn from this great terroir. Ageing lasts on average 15 months in oak barrels, with a maximum of 50% new barrels, and 3 months in vats before bottling.

A wine for ageing: the generous terroir of the Clos des Forêts Saint Georges forms the soul of the wine. It builds a solid red around well-present tannins which define a wine for ageing. A few years in the cellar will allow the wine to express itself more fully and make it more graceful, silkier and more complete.

About Domaine de l’Arlot

Domaine de l’Arlot, with its hillside vineyards and 19th century gardens, has what many consider to be the most beautiful estate in Burgundy. Since the late 1980s this producer has also been responsible for some of the prettiest red Burgundies going around. The perfume, silkiness and flickering clarity of these wines is born of the l’Arlot vineyards, and the Prémeaux terroir in general. Prémeaux has always stood apart from the rest of Nuits-Saint-Georges and made wines that are altogether more fine and elegant than those produced further North, around the town itself. L’Arlot brings the finesse of this terroir to the fore with their approach to wine growing and élevage. Biodynamic farming, perfect, well-sorted fruit, gentle extraction and whole bunch use, all play their part. Every step, from vineyard to bottle, is tailored to underline purity and finesse.

2014 was Jacques Devauges’s last year as winemaker, (before he was headhunted by the great Sylvain Pitiot for the role of Clos du Tart’s new régisseur), and Géraldine Godot’s first. The pair worked together at harvest time, with Géraldine assuming control over the élevage prior to bottling. To her credit, Godot refuses to accept any plaudits for the quality of Arlot’s ’14 wines.  The plaudits can wait. The energy and dynamism Géraldine Godot is bringing to Domaine de l’Arlot is palpable.

“This was an impressive set of wines, less flamboyant and fruit driven than the previous vintage, more linear and structured with graphite notes often cropping up on the finish. The Clos des Fôrets is among the best within the appellation… Also keep an eye on the excellent whites, especially the La Gerbotte Blanc that should represent great value.” Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate

Vintage 2018 for Domaine de l’Arlot

Though 2018 is rightly understood to have been a warm and very dry season, Prémeaux-Prissey and the Arlot vineyards were blessed to miss out on the harshest conditions. Three very localized storms also hit here during the summer providing the vines with much needed moisture. The final storm in July was so strong that it managed to cause a mudslide in the Clos des Fôrets! Thankfully no harm done.

Harvest here began with the white parcels on the 1st of September and continued through to the 7th, so not that early by historical standards. Godot told us that the fruit was superb, needing next to no sorting. The yields were low, only 28.5 hl/ha (although L’Arlot yields are often even lower than this). In the cellar, Godot reduced her use of whole bunches, adjusting to the vintage (she prefers stems in cool, late years, while in warm, early years she worries about their impact on pH). The Prémeaux-Prissey and Nuits wines saw almost no whole bunches at all. The use of new oak—which the Domaine has reduced in recent years—was again modest.

Where in the World is Domaine de l’Arlot?

Based in Premeaux-Prissey just to the south of Nuits-Saint-Georges, the Domaine also produces two wines from Vosne-Romanée, the 1er Cru Les Suchots and Grand Cru Romanée-Saint-Vivant. This particular wine is a monopole produced only by the Domaine and no other.