Wine Advisor
Domaine de L'Arlot, Romanee St Vivant Grand Cru 2005
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Superb deep red-ruby color. Pungently mineral aromas of raspberry, bitter cherry and flowers. At once sweet and powerful, with brilliant definition and class but not quite the early aromatic character or expressiveness as the Suchots. But this highly concentrated, extremely young grand cru saturates the palate with sappy fruits and minerals. And this one has a more serious tannic structure for long aging. Leriche vinified 2005 on his own for the first time, then officially took over as estate manager from Jean-Pierre de Smet at the end of 2006.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright ruby-red. Reticent aromas of black cherry, violet and licorice. Pure but tightly wound and a bit inexpressive, even disjointed, today. Medicinal and clenched, in need of more give. Finishes with substantial tannins and good sappy, chocolatey length. The estate has replanted a sizable percentage of these vines over the past decade, as they were unhappy with the massale selection in this vineyard. Difficult to assess today, but does not appear to capitalize on the superb conditions of this vintage.
Reviewed by: David Schildknecht
There are three barrels of the domaine’s 2005 Romanee St.-Vivant, from a property they acquired with the 1991 vintage but that has always seemed something of a problem child. Recent replanting and continual sensitivity to options in vinification are designed to address that, and this year’s rendition is very promising. Cardamom, white pepper, lily and black cherry in the nose lead to a glossy palate of caramel- and brown spice-tinged, rich black cherry fruit, and persistent inner-mouth florality. Abundant fine tannin does not preclude an emerging sense of creaminess, nor block this wine’s long, darkly-fruited, spicy finish. Jean-Pierre de Smet – who managed this estate since its 1987 purchase by the French insurance group AXA – has just turned over the reins to his young technical director Olivier Leriche. Practices here have been certified as biodynamic now for two years. The 2005s were all fermented with whole clusters. Numerous agents and U.S. importers including: Chambers & Chambers, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 642 5500, Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, MA, tel. (781) 352 1100, Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300
About the Producer
Domaine d'Arlot is a new winery founded in 1987, but it has a long history of vineyards and owns three exclusive plots (a monopole, which means that a vineyard is the exclusive property of a single winery or winemaker): Clos du Chapeau, Clos de l'Arlot, Clos des Forets St Georges. 'Arlot, and Clos des Forets St Georges. In 1991, a small plot of Romanee St. Vivant was bought, and the following year a plot of Vosne Romanee Les Suchots was bought, bringing the vineyard to 14 hectares. The Domaine d'Arlot is one of the few exceptions to the rule of grandeur in Bourgogne. Around the end of the eighteenth century, Jean Charles Vienot, the owner of the place, built a stone wall around the vineyard, and the vineyard was named Domaine de l'Arlot. The Domaine de l'Arlot began to use organic farming methods in 2000 and was certified in 2014. The vineyards have been rebalanced and rejuvenated to produce healthier and riper grapes. The philosophy of the winery is: the less intervention the better. The grapes are hand-harvested, selected twice, only the best grapes are used, natural yeasts are used for fermentation, and the lees are pressed by hand, without using pumps as much as possible, to reflect the "terroir" of each field and lot, and to give the wine its personality.
