Ric visits Domaine Arlaud

Started by Joseph Arlaud and his wife Renee Amiot, Domaine Arlaud, based in Morey-Saint-Denis, has been making wines since 1942. Through gradual acquisitions, the domaine now owns about 15 hectares of vines (with another 3.5 ha of buy-in) in 19 A.O.C. appellations throughout the Cotes-de-Nuits. When we arrived on the morning of 23 October 2018, we were welcomed by its third generation owner Cyprien Arlaud. This domaine has been certified fully biodynamic since 2014 although it had begun vinifying with organic methods as far back as 1998. Horse ploughing is utilised for its premier cru and grand cru vineyards. Using up to 25% new oak and selected whole bunches for its grand crus (the grapes are, otherwise, de-stemmed), I found its wines to be well-extracted (but not overdone), structured with clean focus and definition. Its village and premier cru tend to show a certain feminine elegance and roundness, while its grand crus are impressively layered with power and verve. They reflect well the style and drive of a young winemaker. While the 2017s we tasted from barrel already seemed approachable, I can imagine that those from outstanding vintages like 2015 and 2016 will be much more structured and robust. Patience is required for these wines which are still reasonably priced. This is a very fine address.

Cyprien Arlaud

2017 Domaine Arlaud Morey-Saint-Denis. Deep color. Effusive glow of dark cherries and raspberries. Well-extracted with a clean sharply-focused palate, displaying good depth and linearity that tapered to a glowing finish.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Vosne-Romanee. Glorious deep ruby. Effusive aromas of delicious ripe dark cherries and rose petals. More earthy on the palate with a bright minerally presence balanced by a deeper vein of dark currants, finishing with good persistence. Lovely.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Vosne-Romanee Aux Reas. This village exudes a lovely deep bouquet of dark currants covered with cedar. Fleshy with a focused palate, slightly more minerally which imparted a somewhat stern demeanour, layered with fine acidity.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Chambolle-Musigny Les Noirots 1er. Dark in colour, proffering delicious seductive aromas of red and dark fruits. Fleshy, soft and rounded with a clean focused acidity and understated intensity, showing good vigour but just a tad short.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Morey-Saint-Denis Les Millandes 1er. Mulberries and blueberries dominate on the nose. Rounded and minerally but more lean on the palate, displaying good balance and well-defined acidity.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Morey-Saint-Denis Les Blanchards 1er. Great color with an aromatic fragrance of rose petals and dark plums, rounded and fleshy with understated structure, intensity and acidity amidst lovely presence of warm ripe fruit. Very fine.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Morey-Saint-Denis Aux Chaseaux 1er. Dark cherries and dark plums dominate on the nose. Medium-bodied. Soft and fleshy, layered with good concentration of warm ripe that conferred a feminine gentle elegance. Very fine.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Morey-Saint-Denis Les Ruchots 1er. Brighter nose of rose petals and currants. Fleshy and rounded with a gentle minerally tone, highly seamless. Distinctly feminine.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers 1er. Gentle fragrance of bright red fruits and cherries. Medium-bodied. Fleshy and well-layered with fruit and supple seamless acidity. Highly graceful. Drinking very well.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Combottes 1er. Beguiling rosy fragrance of red fruits and cherries. Rounded and fleshy, gently layered with a very fine minerally tone, highly supple. Finishing well.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Vosne-Romanee Les Petits Monts 1er. Dark red fruits dominate throughout with a very cleanly focused palate. Appropriately more structured with traces of earth and ferrous minerals, finishing brightly.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru. Deep color. Beautiful aromas of delicious red fruits, glowing with rich purity of lovely fruit on the gently layered palate. Highly supple and seamless, exuding plenty of feminine elegance and charm. Excellent.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Clos de la Roche Grand Cru. Lifted floral fragrance and dark fruits on the nose. Quite fleshy with a lovely presence though understated in acidity and structure, finishing with fine gentle intensity.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Echezeaux Grand Cru. Intense bouquet of dark fruits and varnish that carried well onto the palate, displaying lovely intensity and understated structure on a minerally bed.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru. Warm red fruits dominate with very good levels of ripeness, concentration and structure, though there is a certain sternness from its underlying minerally streak.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru. Pervasive dark fruits and dark currants with a warm fullish presence, displaying good acidity and intensity of fruit with a fine minerally balance. Good vigour throughout. Quite excellent.

2017 Domaine Arlaud Hospice de Beaune Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru. Superb nose. Full hedonistic bouquet of complex red and dark fruits, mocha and chocolate. Well layered in fruit and minerals on the medium-full palate, very well-proportioned with controlled intensity without any of the burliness usually associated with Hospice wines, tapering to a bright minerally finish. Vinified by the domaine for a certain Singaporean, it seems (not me!). Only 2 barrels.