Tasted in Premeaux with Géraldine Godot, 19 November, 2021.
Domaine de L’Arlot
Premeaux
21700 Nuits-Saint-Georges
Tel: +33 3 80 61 01 92
www.arlot.com
More reports with Domaine de l’Arlot
Géraldine on 2021:
“I felt that there was no summer in 2021 – and that was after the frost! We managed to have most of the things that we try to avoid in the vines – mildew, etcetera – but in the end, I was satisfied by both the quality and quantity – almost a normal volume – except in the whites, of course. Looking back, the wines really don’t reflect the morose impression of the year – and in the end, it wasn’t as cold a vintage as 2013 to compare.”
Géraldine on 2020:
“We started and finished in August – 22-30 harvested – the first time the domaine has finished its harvest in August. It was, also, not too bad a volume – a couple of barrels more than in 2019 – but we never have large volumes. Everything started early in this vintage but never with too much rain or too much heat – it was calm and with nothing to change the rhythm of the growth. The summer was lovely, also the spring – 15 days of canicule in August and so we started harvesting 25 August and finished 30 August. In 2019 it was the whites that were ripe and ready first – it was the reverse in 2020 when the reds had a bit more alcohol – but we have good balancing acidity too.”
The wines…
It’s a super vintage here. Not just, but particularly, I draw your attention to the whites here – they shine so brightly in 2020…
2020 Hautes Côtes de Nuits Le Mont
The same parcel as for the whites. Young vines, not much more than 10 years old – but that’s older than the HCDN blanc. This and the next bottled at the start of September, before the harvest
A wide and full nose – cushioned – a nose that gives you a warm hug. Supple – mouth-filling but with nice cool fruit and a very good texture for a Bourgogne. Red fruited and with some modest bitters to finish. Give it a little patience but this will be lovely.
2020 Côte de Nuits Villages Clos du Chapeau
A 1.6 hectare plot in Comblanchien.
Full colour. A deeper and darker nose – but no reduction – more compact but still fine. Fuller, more cushioned but sill active, mobile flavour – good energy – dark bitters and with a concentrated line of finishing flavour too.
The following all tasted from barrel samples:
Middle of Clos Forets but young vines of 10-15 years old.
A more vertical nose – high tones that are more floral and deep tones that are more obviously of fruit. Super texture – so silky, a fluidity of flavour, small waves of persistent finishing flavour. That’s a simply excellent wine – Bravo!
2020 Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos de l’Arlot
The vines now average over 70 years – marl is a characteristic of the clos.
A broader nose, dark fruit, a certain brambly, blackberry, style to this today. Fuller – more open, slightly more visibility to the tannin too. A bit less elegance but more of everything else. For keeping for sure – drink the previous while waiting.
2020 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
From 0.85 hectares at the border of Richebourg, vines planted in 45, 50 and 87.
A little firework reduction here which gives way to an ease, a width, of more elegant aroma that slowly adds a floral component too. The reduction is visible in the flavours too. A wine of intensity and concentration – but never fat. A super line of finishing flavour here – a bit more elevage needed for sure but it won’t be bottled before April, so…
A relatively massive vineyard monopoly of 7.2 hectares – it’s half of the domaine – with three distinct soil types, all harvested and vinified separately.
Almost a saturated colour. A deep nose of vibrantly dark fruit and a graphite-style mineral component. Wow concentration but completely airy in the delivery of the flavour – the same in the finish – a certain elegance to the flavour despite the intensity that came before. Potentially great but you should have 10-15 years of waiting in mind – as a starting point… ‘At least 7’ says Géraldine
2020 Romanée Saint-Vivant
From 24 rows of vines that face Romanée-Conti and run only half-way to the village.
Directly a more elgant and open width of aromatic complexity – a floral component only adds the attraction. Direct and silky like the first Nuits – but here is much more behind: Intensity, minerality and florality. Slowly mouth-watering with extra complexity too. A more sophisticated package than the ‘Forets’ not much less concentration but a more balanced concentration. Excellent – even for RSV!
Les Blancs
From just above the Clos des Forêts.
A broad, slightly textured width of yellow/golden citrus freshness – nice! Really mouth-filling, mineral, growing with a mouth-watering citrus – almost an exotic agrume / muscaté but this is delicious tasty wine. Bravo Bourgogne
2020 Côte de Nuits Villages Aux Leurey Blanc
A much cooler width of freshness here – none of the exotic. Mouth-filling and vibrant. The heaviness of Côte de Nuits white but balanced by its mineral freshness. Finishing zesty and delicious – ooh that’s a great finish. Excellent wine overall but one with a great finish.
Racked and in tank, fined about 15 days ago for bottling before the end of the year:
Now 23-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.’
That’s a top nose – so vibrant and citrussy – blind I wouldn’t know that I was in the Côte de Nuits – the faintest accent of barrel here too. Super, mouth-filling, shape, the flavour dominated by its minerality – but no hard edges to this structure – only an ease of flavour and silk to the texture. The lick of barrel is again visible but only in the finishing notes. A great CdN white!
Actually a mix of La Gerbotte and others in the Clos l’Arlot – Gerbotte being the coolest location – temperature-wise!
A more airy width of aroma – with a little extra vibration of spice to this silky citrus nose. Cooler flavour, the structure a little more apparent, less cushioning at the edges vs the last. No quarter given or asked here – great middle definition and finishing flavour. This wine always needs 10 years to show itself and this is a great Arlot Blanc – bravo!