Tasted in Morey St.Denis with Cyprien Arlaud, 27 November, 2020.
Domaine Arlaud Père et Fils
41 Rue Epernay
21220 Morey St.Denis
Tel: +33 3 80 34 32 65
www.domainearlaud.com
More reports for Domaine Arlaud
Cyprien on 2019:
“We have been lucky, but maybe that’s because we’ve been pretty strict right from the start – so ‘luckily’ no covid issues here this year and we’ve been fully invested in making great wine in 2020 – the 2019s are exceptional too.
“In 19 it’s really not a catastrophic result from the perspective of volumes – 15 solid years of biodynamics, horse ploughing since 2003 and the Guyot-Poussard pruning that we’ve been using, all brings together a very correct yield – perhaps 20% down – only Combottes was lower with 22 hl/ha – so proper yields I would say and that’s before factoring in the dryness of the vintage. It’s about balance for the vines. Fluidity is the word for the wines – for me, it has so much in common with 2010. Our full attention will be required right up to bottling which will start at the end of the year, the second part will be in February.
“I’ve hardly previously noted such a vintage where the music is so easy to hear – the terroir so easy to see. That brings me so much pleasure. It’s my 20th year here and I hope it brings some maturity to my decisions, but I still couldn’t have done it without a vintage like 2019.
“The market’s not easy, no discussion, but we have two advantages; 1 we are in burgundy and 2 we are in the Côte de Nuits – it really helps. The restaurants are part of the richness of the region so the ‘sandwich-vintage’ (no restaurants) certainly generates some sadness – Bourgogne becomes a desert without them but there’s no question of the quality of the wines.”
The wines…
A range to be proud of – back on top form!
All barrel samples:
Usually 35k bottles from the more than 5 ha.
Ooh, here is depth and freshness combined – a great nose for the label. Supple, silky, oh-so-sophisticated – but such depth too. A subtle supporting structure, mouth-watering in the long finish. Not quite ready but concentrated and first-class – bravo!
2019 Morey St.Denis
From 2 parcels; Les Seuvrées and Clos Solon.
A punchy reduction on this wine, behind, with much swirling, is a fine higher-toned fruit. Direct, a little more structured. Beautifully fresh, I like the intensity, the open shape and just a little finishing structure. This sustains a narrow but very long finish too – it will be lovely.
Normally from 5 parcels, all close to Morey.
More width of aroma and more apparent freshness to that width too. Again, such an impressive intensity but with no fat, just the essence of Chambolle wine – so impressive for a villages. Such a sophisticated texture and extra intense in the finish too – quite mineral here – bravo! What a difference to 2018!
From Seuvrées and La Justice.
An aromatic reduction again, but it dissipates more easily than was the case for the Morey – and what a reward – a clarion of pure, pure fruit and a little floral extra – that’s great. Cool fruited, wide, depth of flavour, open, indeed open-armed and delicious. That’s a wine of class.
2019 Morey St.Denis 1er Millandes
A reduction of similar intensity to the Gevrey, Not exploding with higher tones like the last but very confidently offering a width and depth of fine aroma. A little extra depth of saline-edged flavour, more spice more overt complexity – but not dense – here is width and just a little more tannin balanced by the cool fruited style. A finish of intensity that you can practically eat. Potentially a great Millandes, excellent wine.
2019 Morey St.Denis 1er Les Blanchards
More open, more red-fruited aromas, all slightly, comfortably, cushioned – then comes the floral aspect – such a great sequence of wines here in 2019. Fuller again – more core to this wine but still far from ‘dense’ – layers of mouth-watering flavour. Sustaining long waves of finishing flavour too. Wait a little longer for this one, but you will be rewarded!
A vineyard that touches on Mazoyères. 35-year-old vines.
A more modest reduction here – still a nose of impressive proportions. Linear, cool fruited, driving, almost juicy dark fruit. At the same time beautifully textured and concentrated. Remarkable balance – blind you may think grand cru – the dark fruit suggesting CSD the structure suggestion CDR
2019 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Sentiers
Since 99 this made separately but before that was in the villages.
A more vertical nose of fine aromatic freshness. Fresh, pure, direct – pure silk. Partly hidden depths today but a flavour that vibrates. Partly hidden here but beautiful in shape…
2019 Morey St.Denis 1er Les Ruchots
Also slightly guarded in the aroma but there’s no missing the width of freshness that’s expressed here. Rounder, more mouth-filling yet still with a slight airy style – open – growing in minerality at the base – bringing with it some floral accents too. Hyper-impressive and in the context of these wines a little backward – have patience, it will be great – and it’s certainly more Morey than Chambolle!
One part here is 97-years-old.
Completely different – rounder, redder, riper fruit but with outstanding clarity. A touch of oak for the first time, but here is such an outstandingly mineral width of flavour. Really more Combottes-Chambertin than Combottes 1er Cru – bravo!
Depth and freshness – here you can find something in all directions. A little more density of flavour without tipping the balance into dense wine. Great structure and, again, fabulous texture. Holding a slightly mineral note – I like character here – no overtly ‘easy’ Charmes in this case – as it should be. Great Charmes!
A slightly vertical nose with a bit extra in the middle! Cool-fruit aromatics, growing purer and purer as the air does its work. Super wide, fine fresh and cool fruited – the focus is perfect, the texture likewise. A very great Clos de la Roche if you like the more linear style of the cru – and I do! Great tenacity of finishing flavour too. “Thank-you, I do think it may be the best I’ve ever made – I’ve so many parameters that I want to achieve in a wine like this and I think I came close to achieving most of them…“
Almost a gooseberry aroma here – I often find that in CSD – sometimes de Vogüé Musigny too! Fresh, driving, almost more mineral than the CdR. That’s super, really super – some CSD cross the line to over-ripe but not this one. Bravo!
From the Chambolle side, including vines in both terres-blanches and terres-rouges. ‘A climat that struggles more than most when the weather is hot and dry. Here we have the best results from ploughing with a horse – we’ve been doing it here for 15 years – it allows us to capture late August rains much better than before.’
A wider, more relaxed, redder-fruited wine – perhaps a faint whiff of barrel included. Here it’s that cool-fruit style again, wrapped with energy and well-submerged but still visible structure. That’s remarkably approachable for Bonnes-Mares – the width is mineral but still elegant – sophistication again. A range to be proud of – sooo long….
