Domaine de l'Arlot 2015

Tasting

Deep ruby red in colour; the nose is intense and complex with powerful aromas of dark fruit, plum and hints of flowers and spices underpinned by a pleasant woodiness. The palate is powerful and brawny, rich and expressive, and presents great depth with remarkable balance between fruit and acidity. This is a dense, appealing wine with an elegant finish that ensures it will lose nothing by waiting.

The vintage

2015 was among the most precocious vintages of recent years. The vines progressed quickly in the warm springtime temperatures, despite pressure from powdery mildew through to July. Ripening began in mid-July, with temperatures exceeding 35°C. The month of August saw the arrival of much-needed rainfall, which fortunately did not delay ripening.

Harvest: 3-4 September for the whites; 4-9 September for the reds.

The month of June was the hottest since 2003, leading to flower abortion on certain plots. This vintage stands out for its excellent sanitary condition, requiring little sorting, and excellent phenolic maturity. The profusion of healthy clusters meant that for many appellations the full crop could be used for vinification. However, with a harvest of 24 hl/ha, yields were below average.

Winemaking

An exacting commitment to quality: Clos des Forêts Saint Georges is only made with grapes from its oldest vines. We wish to express the very best of this exceptional terroir, and the old vines give darker, more intense wines. This means that grapes from the younger vines are not used for the Clos des Forêts but vinified separately to make Les Petits Plets Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru.

Traditional vinification: hand-picked grapes, minimal cuvaison, a light hand with the pumping-over... The method used to give birth to the wine is to let things happen naturally to reveal the soul of the wine.

A wine for ageing: the generous terroir of the Clos des Forêts Saint Georges forms the soul of the wine. It builds a solid red around well-present tannins which define a wine for ageing. A few years in the cellar will allow the wine to express itself more fully and make it more graceful, silkier and more complete.

Terroir

In Burgundy the monopoly (single estate vineyard) defines a unit of land, a terroir which has been perfectly defined for centuries and which is owned by a single proprietor. The Clos des Forêts Saint Georges covers a surface of 7.20 hectares, all in one piece. It is a unique terroir in a privileged location which right from its origin has made one of the greatest Nuits Saint Georges wines.