l’Arlot – 2014

Update 21.12.2019(9.12.2015)billn

DSC08524Tasted in Premeaux with Géraldine Godot, 06 November, 2015.

Domaine de L’Arlot
Premeaux
21700 Nuits-Saint-Georges
Tel: +33 3 80 61 01 92
www.arlot.com

Géraldine has been here for just over 12 months now. I asked her if it wasn’t a little too calm here, after Beaune – “You must be joking” she said 😉

Géraldine on 2015:
“It’s good; nice grapes with no triage. A first vintage is not so easy, but it’s much nicer to start with a vintage like 2015 than it would have been with 2013, for instance!”

Géraldine on 2014:
“Of-course I wasn’t here for most of the vintage, but the wines remind me a little of 2012, with early finishing malos – December – and the wines were already tasting good very young. Maybe the wines will be for drinking a little earlier than those 2012s. Triage was necessary as there were some very large grapes and some that were much less ripe. The harvest here started on the 11th September with a small team in the whites. Then on the 17th for the reds – here with full team for 5 days.”

The wines…

The first wine is racked for bottling in December, has been in tank for about 1 month. Lovely wines here, there’s a little more oak than Géraldine might, in an ideal world, have wished to use, but no problem – it’s a point of interest for today, but frankly the type used isn’t going to mark the wine beyond its first 18-24 months.

I was particularly struck by how good the whites were this year. I’m no great fan of Nuits whites, with the exception of Arlot’s own Clos de l’Arlot, but preferably with 10 years of age when it exudes a really impressive minerality. Today I’d happily drink any of these – there, I said it 😉

2014 Côte de Nuits Villages Clos du Chapeau
A 1.6 hectare plot in Comblanchien – 20% new oak.
A wide, inviting, modestly whole-cluster perfume. Super texture, there is a weight of fruit here too. Long with a shade of bitter chocolate in the finish. A lovely start.

2014 Nuits St.Georges Petite l’Arlot
Young vines at the top of the hill in the Clos – often the first parcel harvested – now 60% of the total after various replantations. ‘Of course there’s some disease, but much of the replanting was due to the very low yields of the old vines.’ Géraldine now preferring to do repicage. The old vines here were planted in 1955. ‘Too many holes and you can lose the appellation’ notes Géraldine.
Rounder more openly perfumed, but with a dense core of dark red fruit. An extra sweetness and concentration. The tannin drags a little but it’s not grainy. The padding here is more inferred than actual. A lovely finish.

2014 Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos de l’Arlot
The vines now average over 70 years.
More high-toned but also with more oaky spice. Sweeter, falling, melting over the palate – beautiful concentration – indeed nicely tongue staining concentration. Long with a higher toned fruit. A really lovely effort here.

2014 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
From 0.85 hectares at the border of Richebourg, vines planted in 45, 50 and 87. Will barrel probably for april at the latest by the phase of the moon. 65% new oak
Also a hint of oak spice but really majoring on Vosne spice – super. Whole cluster notes but they are far from dominating. Rounder, a base texture wedded in tannin but without overt grain. Long flavoured, rather more on structure than overt flavour, here the finishing notes a mineral and herb. A more structural Suchots than fruit-led, but very good for that. The finishing oak texture should fade before you attack…

2014 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Petits Plets
From young vines (below 25 years) selected from the Clos des Fôrets. Grapes planted in 87, 88 and 89 after 1985 frosts.
A lovely high-toned floral perfume, with a slowly developing oak spice too. Lithe, cool fruit, nice texture, the tannin slowly rising but not dominating. Floral finishing, and a really good bright length. More muscle in the finishing but not aggressive.

So far, I’d wait a couple of years to attack most of these as the oak seems relatively high, the barrels having been ordered before the harvest volumes were apparent.

2014 Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos des Fôrets
A relatively massive vineyard monopoly of 7.2 hectares, with three distinct soil types, all harvested and vinified separately.
A less overt nose, nicely high-toned with whole-cluster support. Really another level of width, the tannin grows here too, but this is proper Premeaux tannin that you can bathe in – fortunately without fear of drowning. The flavour leaches through the core of the structure but stays 50-50 in the finish. Of-course to wait for, but really, there plenty to wait for here! Super!

2014 Romanée Saint-Vivant
From 24 rows of vines that face Romanée-Conti and run only half-way to the village.
Here the nose is subtler, more whole-clusters in evidence, but also subtly complex – but it makes you work to tease it out. Really a structured wine, you might think Nuits if it wasn’t for the flavour complexion, yet, the finish has bravado. Really to wait for.

Les blancs…

2014 Côte de Nuits Villages Aux Leuray Blanc
A 0.25 ha parcel that was planted to pinot but being partly north-facing was replanted with chardonnay in 2006. This raised in older barrels but is now waiting in tank for a December bottling.
A nice spicy top note, freshness and a riper agrume note below. Good width, nicely mineral and with pretty complexity in the mid-palate – this is very good!
2014 Nuits St.Georges La Gerbotte Blanc
Now 18 years-old, forming the southern part of the Clos l’Arlot – next to the Clos Marechale. 30cm of soil here over a ‘huge plate of limestone.’
A higher toned nose, more up and down rather than wide. Seemingly softer, silkier, but with nice precision and a slightly cooler fruit. Some pretty ripeness in the finish and a lovely intensity of finish too. – lovely energy!
2014 Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos l’Arlot Blanc
Actually a mix of La Gerbotte and others in the Clos l’Arlot – Gerbotte being the coolest location – temperature!
Again high-toned, detailed, very pretty indeed. Here is the minerality of l’Arlot, a little exotic fruit, a little oak too. But harmonious and a little delicate. Super finish with a beautiful line of fresh flavour here.

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