Wine Advisor
Domaine de L'Arlot, Romanee St Vivant Grand Cru 2014
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2014 Romanée St Vivant Grand Cru, three and half barrels of it, has a perfumed rose petal and vanilla-tinged bouquet that is very delineated and lifted, with bright red berry fruit, perhaps even a dab of white chocolate. It is a fascinating aromatic. The palate is medium-bodied with fine and supple tannin, well judged acidity and a gentle grip in the mouth. It is tightly-knit and more linear compared to recent vintages, nowhere near a flamboyant RSV with an attractive piquant finish. This is a very good if not stunning Romanée-Saint-Vivant, not quite the stellar showing from other domaines.
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.
