Wine Advisor
Arlaud, Gevrey Chambertin 2021
View analysis
Description
The Gevrey Chambertin AC is one of the biggest AC from the Côte de Nuits with a total of 530 hectares (including 356 hectares in village level) The two plots who compose this cuvee are Les Seuvrées and La justice. Les Seuvrées give elegant wine while La justice plays on a more muscular card. The wine from Gevrey-Chambertin swing between musk spice and fruit. This balance showcases the class of great terroir.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
From holdings in Les Seuvrées and La Justice, the 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin is more structured than its Chambolle and Morey counterparts. Delivering notes of red berries, orange zest, sweet spices and petals, it's medium-bodied, with powdery tannins that assert themselves on the finish.
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
