Domaine de lArlot Nuits Saint Georges Clos de lArlot 1er Rouge 2016 Bibendum Wine Co

The Clos de l’Arlot is the second monopole at the heart of this Domaine. It is a site that sits on the steepest and narrowest part of the Côte d’Or and produces a far more ethereal wine than its significant other, Clos des Forêts. At this time, only 0.7 of a hectare of the Pinot portion of the Clos de l’Arlot is utilized for the ‘grand vin’ (a further 0.7 ha goes towards the Petit Arlot, while the remainder is being replanted). So even in an average year the production and our allocations are rather small.

This comes exclusively from the evocative amphitheatre of vines to the north of Estate buildings, within the Clos ‚– vines planted between 1941 and 1956 on the steep concave slope of Oolitic and Comblanchien limestone. Although Clos de l’Arlot is labelled Nuits-Saint-Georges, it really doesn’t look like a typical Nuits at all. Its architecture much more Chambolle, classically reflecting thePrémeaux terroir which, some argue, is as fine a white terroir as it is a red one. The winemaking is effectively the same as the Forêts‚– this was also fermented with 50% whole bunches and raised with 50% new oak ‚– and here we see this vineyard’s more delicate personality. It’s a classical, roomy Clos de Arlot, etched with crushed raspberry flavours steeped in whole bunch spice, perfume and texture (without being excessively powerful); the whole tethered by fine, deft tannins and perfectly mouth-watering acidity.

– 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