Domaine de L Arlot Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Clos de l Arlot 2023

The Wine

Clos de l'Arlot is the Premier Cru monopole at the heart of the domaine, with stone walls dating to the 18th century, and its oldest vines planted between 1939 and 1951. It’s a contradictory wine, with the steep, concave amphitheatre of the slope, and the hard, rocky soils, which combine to produce one of the most elegant and perfumed reds of the entire Côte de Nuits. Despite its Nuits-Saint-Georges label, the wine has far more in common with Chambolle than with its neighbours to the north, reflecting the rocky, close-to-the-forest Prémeaux terroir (the Clos is located in the thinnest band of the Côte). The wine from here is altogether more delicate and ethereal than the nearby Clos des Forêts, for example. The 2023 is made from 100% destemmed fruit, fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and aged 15 months in French oak (40% new). A beautiful red that will drink well young, ideally from a decanter, but will also repay decades of cellaring as well!

92-94 Pts Neal Martin, Vinous 'The 2023 Nuits Saint-Georges Clos de l'Arlot 1er Cru has a vibrant bouquet that one might mistake for containing some stems—slightly darker fruit, with a touch of seaweed. The palate is medium-bodied with a saline entry, very well balanced and elegant in style, with a harmonious and persistent finish. Quite seductive.'

17/20 Pts Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com 'Monopole. 40% new oak, no stems. Certified biodynamic. Cask sample. Mid-to-light crimson. Chewy and so sweet on the palate. All red fruits with a touch of spice, but less obvious oak than you might expect, showing the wine has plenty of stuffing. Juicy and fine-grained.

91-94 Pts Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy 'A paler colour with an orange tint to the crimson, typical of this vineyard. A fine lively fruit, with blood orange in the background. This is a very classical reading of the terroir, with a long gracious finish and adequate structure. On the airy side for Nuits. Drink from 2028-2034.'


The Details
Variety - Pinot Noir
Country - France
Region - Burgundy
Extra - Cork
Year - 2023
Volume - 750ml

About the Wine Maker 

Domaine de l'Arlot has long been cherished by Burgundy lovers for the sheer beauty of its wines, but under the stewardship of Géraldine Godot the estate has ascended to an entirely new level, sitting now, by some standards, alongside DRC, Rousseau, and Roumier at the very summit of the Côte de Nuits. Taking nothing away from the great work of her predecessors—Jean-Pierre de Smet, Olivier Leriche, and Jacques Devauges—we agree entirely with Neal Martin, who has written that Géraldine Godot is “possibly making [Domaine l’Arlot’s] best wines ever.” 

This l’Arlot style is one of purity, perfume, and seduction—yet still with enough stuffing to age very well. This is why we buy Burgundy: to be able to drink wines like these.

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 are 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 finer and more 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.

In the cellar, Godot refuses to follow any recipes, instead adapting her winemaking to the season. In 2020, for example, she used between 50 and 70% whole bunches across the red cuvées. The warm, dry season produced stems that were riper, and Godot felt the ferments would benefit from the inclusion of whole bunches. She was right. In 2021, a much cooler, wetter season, there were no whole bunches added at all. So, no recipe, only careful consideration of the personality of each terroir, in each season, and then thoughtful, precise handling in the cellar. Of course, adaption is the name of the game these days in Burgundy. Godot is a highly thoughtful, sensitive and intelligent winemaker, and the quality of her current releases only underscores why this iconic Domaine is now rated so highly.