Wine Advisor
Arlaud, Chambolle Musigny 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(the yield here was 35 hectoliters per hectare): Bright, dark red. A note of animal reduction to the red berry and smoked meat aromas. In a lean style, but a step up in energy and minerality from the village Morey-Saint-Denis. This very dry wine, made from parcels on the Morey side of Chambolle, suggests modest ripeness. Finishes with fine-grained but slightly drying tannins.
About the Producer
Domaine Arlaud began when Joseph Arlaud met Renée Amiot (a Burgundian woman) during the war. The wedding presents contained vineyards of which Joseph extended in 1949. In 1966, he acquired the old "Grenier à sel" of Nuits-Saint-Georges for the rearing of the wines. This wonderful 14th century cellar became the estate's emblem that still today is seen on the labels. Today, the star of the show is Hevré's son Cyprien, who took the reins of the domaine in 1997 with the simple and unwavering vision of making pure, benchmark Burgundy. The same year he was put in charge, he began the conversion of the estate to biodynamics (certified in 2014). He also began using horses to plough domaine vineyards in order to keep the soils as healthy and alive as possible. With top holdings in Morey St. Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Gevrey-Chambertin, and Vosne-Romanée, he notes, "It's hard to get good grapes from vines planted on a cement highway." Luckily for him, his sister Bertille has become one of the most important horse ploughers in all of France. With her two horses Nougat and Okapi, she ploughs every single vineyard herself, while also ploughing and training horses for many top estates across the country. The results from the intense and meticulous care for the vines became evident very quickly, with wines that spoke of terroir in the clearest of voices. "Cyprien Arlaud is quietly going about making some very fine wines from his base in Morey-Saint-Denis.... There is a subtle sense of modernity to them, with the fruit erring towards black rather than red, quite fleshy and voluminous in the mouth, and not subtle but eager to express themselves...there are some gems here." - Wine Advocate
