What's Pressoir Drinking?

June 9, 2021
by Edouard Bourgeois

Domaine de l’Arlot Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru 1993

Recently at Chef Daniel Boulud’s newest Manhattan restaurant, Le Pavillon, I tasted this glorious red Burgundy from Domaine de l’Arlot. This 1993 was made by the well respected Jean-Pierre de Smet, whose winemaking career inspires many in the field.

The domaine's recent history remains marked by his influence. Jean-Pierre ran the domaine for almost two decades. In January 2007, he handed over the direction of the domaine to Christian Seely, who entrusted technical management first to Olivier Leriche, then to Jacques Devauges in August 2011, and later to Géraldine Godot in September 2014.

The celebrated Grand Cru of Romanée-St-Vivant is one of the top vineyards in the world for Pinot Noir. Founded in 1098, the Abbey of Citeaux has made a lengthy contribution to the extension of vines in Burgundy. The monks of Saint-Vivant de Vergy were very much involved in this, so much so that this vineyard in the Côte de Nuits was named after them.

The first vintage of this wine to be produced by Domaine de l'Arlot was 1991.

1993 can be a tricky vintage for red Burgundy, typically marked by strong acidity which can translate to firmness and austerity. However this bottle was not showing that character. Instead, black fruits and just a touch of forest floor aromas defined this incredibly fresh and vivid wine. I would not have guessed that it was an almost 30 year old bottle. Great length and a salivating tension made for a delightful tasting experience.