2017 Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru

A 1990 Nuits Saint-Georges Clos de l’Arlot at Ma Cuisine opened my taste buds to Burgundy many years ago, and as a result I confess to a sentimental attachment to this domaine, based on the RN74 in Prémeaux-Prissey. Part of AXA-Millésimes’s small but impressive portfolio, they have settled into a fine groove since winemaker Géraldine Godot stepped into the shoes of Jacques Desvauges upon his transfer to Clos de Tart. For the first time, Christian Seely hot-footed from Porto to join the tasting. One of Seely’s remarks that caught my attention came whilst discussing the use of whole bunch fruit, when he mentioned that he wants all his estate managers to be completely independent and “bold in their decisions.” This gave Godot the mandate to use 100% whole bunch in some cuvées and 100% de-stemmed in others, according to her wishes, resulting in quite a varied portfolio in 2017.

“I compare the vintage with 2014 since the 2017s are easy to drink young,” Godot opined. “They do not have great bodies. We don’t have to think of a lot of things when we taste [i.e., it is not what you might call “cerebral” wine]. I was less confident deciding the moment of the harvest because there was a difference between the alcohol potential and acidity. We tried to focus on the phenolic ripeness. We started the harvest on September 7 and finished on September 14, and finally we reached 13.0° and 13.2° alcohol with just a small chaptalisation, the same as in 2016 and what we saw for the 2018s.” Godot also pointed out the change in mindset that she herself, and fellow winemakers, had to make in 2017. “In 2015 and 2016, we had a lot of colour and density. When we have a normal, more Burgundian vintage [like 2017], we have to adjust. Maybe we have forgotten the characteristics of Pinot Noir.”

There is a great deal to admire at domaine de l’Arlot in 2017. In fact, I quipped to Seely that maybe his winemaker was downplaying her wines, the opposite of their Bordeaux counterparts! The Nuits Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets-Saint-Georges is excellent, but the eye-opener for me is their maiden cuvée: Nuits Saint-Georges Cuvée Hors Ligne. As Géraldine Godot explained, “This is a selection from inside the Nuits Saint-Georges Clos des Fôrets Saint Georges, but it is not the Petits Plaits [a cuvée previously released by the domaine]. We didn’t want to keep the name, as the Petits Plaits came from the bottom of the slope and from the younger vines. We usually have six different tanks of the Clos des Fôrets until the final bottling. When we tasted the lots last June, we agreed that one was different and the final blend would be less interesting with its inclusion. It comes from two parts, one in the middle close to the cabotte and one on the opposite side of the vineyard. We discovered that the name was Cuvée Hors Ligne in the 1969 and 1978 vintages and I think that is a good expression of the cuvée. It means ‘different’.” I was quite smitten by this new addition, especially in terms of its mineral expression and structure. Overall, a fascinating and diverse array of wines from Domaine de l’Arlot that is well worth investigating.