Domaine de l’Arlot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru ‘Les Suchots’ 2022

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

Running the entire width of the Côte from the forest to the RN74, Forêts contains three distinct terroirs which l’Arlot picks and vinifies separately. From top to bottom, these three soil types include a band of white oolitic limestone with very little topsoil; a fracture in the middle of the vineyard, where pink Prémeaux limestone takes over; then ‘younger’ Ladoix limestone and more clay at the bottom of the slope. A portion of the youngest vines were previously harvested for the now-defunct Petits Plets cuvée. Now over 30 years old, these vines have come of age and so form a part of this cuvée.

This is the deepest, most intense red in the l’Arlot stable and one that perfectly highlights the dark-fruited, inky power of this terroir. Where last year the fruit for this cuvée was completely de-stemmed, the 2019 was fermented with 30% whole bunches and aged with 35% new oak, bringing more perfume but also more structure. It’s a superb example of this wine which, quite frankly, remains one of the bargains of the Côte de Nuits.

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.

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.

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.

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

Geraldine explores the 2017, 2018 & 2019 vintages in the film below.

The 2022 Vintage at Domaine de l’Arlot

This year’s harvest will mark Géraldine Godot’s 10th vintage at Domaine de l’Arlot, meaning she has already outlived the combined years of her two predecessors, Olivier Leriche (2007-2011) and Jacques Devauges (2011-2014). Both those winemakers made some outstanding wines during their tenure here, but I think it’s fair to say that neither hit the heights, nor had the galvanising effect, of Godot, under whom Arlot has now become one of the Côte d’Or’s top estates. We need to go back to the great Jean-Pierre de Smet, who ran the domaine for almost two decades, to find a comparable period of consistent greatness. But, of course, the wines (and the climate) were very different back then (de Smet was a staunch 100% whole-buncher). AXA Millésime’s head man, Christian Seely, is certainly hoping that Géraldine has the staying power of de Smet, saying recently: “Géraldine has clearly taken Arlot to higher planes. What she’s brought to Arlot is a precision and fidelity, which allows each wine to express a sense of place.”

In 2022, Géraldine Godot produced another thrilling set of wines. She told us: “2022 has more in common with 2021 than with 2020. You can taste the wines and completely forget that the year was warm. I like this sort of vintage when you forget whether the season was hot or cold.” So do we! It’s a delicious year. Yes, the wines show their terroirs clearly, but they are also wonderfully ripe and textural, with most wines naturally registering 13-13.5%.

The yields were also good in 2022, averaging 38.5 hl/ha, whereas 25 hl/ha would be a 10-year average. This is likely a key to the wines’ superb balance. Godot believes another factor was the partial shutdown of the vines during the warmest days of summer, which slowed the ripening.

Godot destemmed everything in 2022. The 2021 vintage was destemmed out of necessity, and she was so happy with it that she wanted to try it again in a warmer year. The success of 2022 can be judged by the fact that no stems were used in 2023 or ’24. Jasper Morris notes that the change has had little effect on the style, which is aimed toward the ethereal rather than the powerful. The level of new oak was capped at 40%.

When we asked Benjamin Leroux for his favourite village in 2022, he didn’t hesitate to name Nuits-Saint-Georges. So, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by the quality on offer at Domaine de l’Arlot. Having said that, Premeaux-Prissey is a very specific part of Nuits (for me, it should have its own appellation!) Regardless, Arlot’s 2022 reds are outstanding: good depth yet long on charm, with a level of finesse and freshness that only the best growers achieved in 2022. “We can almost say classic,” says Géraldine.

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.