Wine Advisor
Domaine de L'Arlot, Romanee St Vivant Grand Cru 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2016 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru includes 100% whole cluster but no new oak. This is because the fermentation was conducted in a new 15-hectoliter wooden tank, so the élevage is done in one-, two- and three-year-old barrels to reduce the wood influence. It has a very feminine, precise bouquet with dark cherries, raspberry, bergamot tea and just a hint of crushed rose petals, not powerful but nicely detailed. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, slightly crunchy in texture, thanks to the stem addition, and very well poised with a mineral-driven finish that flourishes on the aftertaste. This is another excellent contribution to the vintage from the domaine, although here I probably have a preference for the 2015.
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.
