Pressoir.wine dinner Domaine Arlaud Recap

by Edouard Bourgeois
December 15, 2022

Morey-Saint-Denis is located between Gevrey-Chambertin to the north and Chambolle-Musigny to the south, two very prestigious appellations with no shortage of grands crus and legendary producers. That is the reason why often, Morey-Saint-Denis can easily be overlooked. However, the 700 inhabitant village does produce amazing wines and is also home to grand cru vineyards. Domaine Dujac may well be the leading producer of the appellation but Domaine Arlaud is the one to watch. Founded in 1942, Arlaud progressively became the pioneer in organic farming, now fully biodynamic, and the quality keeps going up with each new vintage. Cyprien Arlaud has worked at the domaine since 1998, fully in charge of winemaking in 2004 and officially took the reins in 2013 after his two siblings decided to leave the family business. 

We tasted twelve gorgeous wines at restaurant Benoit in a small committee and this is my recap:

1st flight

Domaine Arlaud, Morey-Saint-Denis 1er cru Les Blanchards 2017

Domaine Arlaud, Morey-Saint-Denis 1er cru aux Cheseaux 2015

Domaine Arlaud, Morey-Saint-Denis 1er cru Les Ruchots 2010

We kicked things off with an interesting overview of three premiers crus of Morey-Saint-Denis. Blanchard, named after the fact that white wines were once produced there is rich in limestone and silt while affected by the cool air from the Combe of Morey-Saint-Denis. This vineyard has been in the Arlaud family only since 2004 but the vines are old, averaging 70 years of age. We tasted 2017, a vintage full of bright acidity that made a wine reminiscent of red currant, a great way to start indeed.

The second wine was from the climat Chezeaux, located up north by Gevrey-Chambertin. There, the limestone is the Comblanchien type, almost chalky, immaculate and unbriken. It is often used in housing construction thanks to its strong density and in fact, Chezeaux is the old French name for “building”. The site is cooler with very little clay. Fun fact, part of the climat is ranked premier cru and part of it ranked as village level. 2015 was the vintage we tasted. The firmness of that year was felt on the nose, being quite closed but the palate showed more charm and a lovely tannic quality paired with fine-tuned acidity.

Lastly for this flight, the Ruchots 2010, served from a magnum offered a much rounder profile. If the older age helped here, the terroir was also allowed to shine through. Ruchot is located down south of the appellation, close to Chambolle-Musigny and one can find the sensual signature of Chambolle in this wine. The clay is in abundance there with lots of iron and the Arlaud’s plot is planted with 75-year-old vines.

2nd flight

Domaine Arlaud, Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2017

Domaine Arlaud, Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2010

Domaine Arlaud, Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2005

This was the only flight not from Morey-Saint-Denis. This grand cru from Gevrey-Chambertin has the particularity to be called either Charmes Chambertin or Mazoyeres Chambertin. Most producers choose the former as it is the case here with Arlaud. The one-hectare family vineyard has been part of the estate since the founding of the estate and panted by Cyprien’s grand father. The 80 year-old vines produce a deep and gorgeous wine while the youngest vines of the plot are vinified separately and used to produce the Gevrey-Chambertin village level. 2017 performed well considering its very young age. I hope I can taste this wine again in a decade. Fun fact for that vintage, Cyprien had to “green harvest” so the vine, after being seriously affected by frost the year prior didn’t over produce. 2010 really struck me and it may well have been my “wine of the night”. Gorgeous nose of ripe cherries and secondary aromas of forest floor. The palate was cheerful with some real power and a long finish. 2005 seemed more austere with a bit less vibrancy of fruit. The alcohol also felt a touch higher.

3rd flight

Domaine Arlaud, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2017

Domaine Arlaud, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2015

Domaine Arlaud, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2012

It may seem surprising to serve Clos de la Roche, typically the most powerful Grand Cru of Morey-Saint-Denis before the usually more delicate Clos-Saint Denis. However at Arlaud, the two styles are reversed and there is a clear effort to tame the big personality of Clos de la Roche by limiting the extraction of color and tannins. The family’s plot is located at the bottom of the appellation in the lieu dit of Les Mochamps. The vines are also a bit younger there (50 years old) in comparison to the rest of the holdings. Back to 2017, the nose was quite developed and the palate very pretty with hints of violet and really well balanced. 2015 was gorgeous and a great example of the potential of the vintage. Black fruit on the nose and earthy notes of truffle, it beautifully blossomed after opening for a while and multi layers unfolded. Lastly, 2012 is a wine that I didn’t fully understand. The nose suggested lavender while the palate was marked by a surprising grapefruit rind and a certain bitterness. The vintage was tough for many Burgundy producers. The erratic weather made rot sorting a crucial step of the winemaking process. The result is wines of unusual concentration.

4th flight

Domaine Arlaud, Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru 2014

Domaine Arlaud, Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru 2010

Domaine Arlaud, Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru 1999

The impeccable massale selection of the family, started by Cyprien’s grandfather typically produces small grape bunches subject to millerandage, a natural phenomenon where the berries do not fully develop and remain small, increasing the ratio of skin over juice which leads to more structured  but also more complex wines. Located in the heart of the Morey-Saint-Denis appellation, Clos-Saint-Denis at Arlaud is the finest wine made and the quality is consistent year after year. Unfortunately, the family’s plot is only 0.17 hectare so the wines are very hard to find. 2014 opened the show and clearly announced its presence and a very different style than the previous Clos-Saint-Denis. Impressive and complex, I really enjoyed the juicy, sweet cherries and the volume. I was surprised to get that from a typically lighter vintage such as 2014. 2010 was my favorite of the flight, dark and brooding. Finally, we served the only wine not made by Cyprien, but by his father Hervé, a 1999 Clos-Saint-Denis. Being much older than the others immediately put this wine in a different category and from what I heard among the guests, it left a strongly positive impression. I really liked it too. The evolution showed interesting earthy aromatics, mushroom, and forest floor while the fruit did shine through with the presence of black currant.