Tasting Notes
Limited quantities. The appellation Côte de Nuits-Villages covers vines across five villages: Fixin, Brochon, Prémeaux, Comblanchien and Corgoloin. This wine however comes only from a single, 1.6-hectare site called Clos du Chapeau. It’s another monopole belonging to Domaine de l’Arlot, located in Comblanchien (just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges). It’s a hat-shaped plot (hence the name), where the soil has plenty of limestone gravel eroded from the hills above. The vines were planted between 1987 and 1991.
Roughly one-tenth of the fruit is fermented as whole bunches. In the context of today’s Burgundy, it’s an absolute bargain. - Importer Note
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. Thanks to the brilliance of Arlot's 2015s there will be plenty of those coming Godot's way. The energy and dynamism Géraldine Godot is bringing to Domaine de l'Arlot is palpable. Whilst retaining the core values of l'Arlot, with next year's release we are going to see a number of changes to the line-up.
- Importer Note
Product Type | Wine Red Pinot Noir |
Volume | 750ml |
Country | France |
Region | Burgundy |
Sub Region | Cotes de Nuits |
Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
Vineyard Practices | Organic/Biodynamic |