Description
Domaine Arlaud, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
As I’ve said before, wines as rare and exceptional as this one don’t require any “selling” on the part of the maker or the importer: It’s more about playing traffic cop, trying to decide how many bottles to “allocate” to each eagerly outstretched hand.
As is typical in Burgundy, Cyprien Arlaud owns a small slice of the Grand Cru “Charmes-Chambertin,” one of the most legendary plots of Pinot Noir vines in the world, making him part of a very tight-knit, very exclusive club of producers who make a wine with this vineyard designation on the label. No one makes very much, because most of the growers who own part of Charmes-Chambertin farm just a few rows in the 27-hectare site. As a result, most producers of Charmes-Chambertin don’t ask you how much you’d like to buy—they tell you how much you can have. Today’s ’18 from Arlaud is the third vintage of the wine we’ve been lucky enough to offer, and I say “lucky” because it has remained at the same (very reasonable) price for three years. There’s no question this wine ranks among the greatest pound-for-pound values in the world of elite Burgundy, so we’ve been circling our calendars in anticipation of each year’s release. This year, perhaps because of our loyalty, we managed to wrangle a few more bottles for SommSelect subscribers—but still, it isn’t much. We can offer up to four bottles per person today, with complimentary Ground shipping starting at bottle one—at this level, this wine can fairly be called a “steal.”
Charmes-Chambertin is the largest of the Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Crus, and, as such, there is a who’s-who of Burgundy’s best bottling wines from the site. Thanks to meticulous biodynamic farming and a gentle touch in the cellar, Arlaud has emerged as a force to be reckoned with, but his prices have somehow remained stable despite the ever-growing reputation of the property.
Charmes-Chambertin produces perhaps the most elegant wines of Gevrey-Chambertin’s Grand Cru vineyards, and Domaine Arlaud’s sliver of it is particularly choice: it sits at the highest section of the ‘Mazoyères’ portion of Charmes, just across the road from the start of the Latricières portion (more specifically still, Domaine Leroy’s piece of Latricières, from which they make a wine costing $1,500-$2,000 a bottle, if you can find it). The Arlaud vines on Charmes-Chambertin are divided into three parts—one section of 80+-year-old vines; one of 50+-year-old vines; and one of 25+-year-old vines—which are vinified separately. The wine is aged in only 30% new barrels and typically incorporates around 30% whole grape clusters in the fermentation, depending on the vintage.
Domaine Arlaud began with the WWII-era marriage of Joseph Arlaud to Renée Amiot, whose family owned several prime Burgundy vineyards, including pieces of the Clos St. Denis and Bonnes Mares Grand Crus. Joseph’s son Hervé followed, expanding the domaine’s holdings further, then in 1997 it was Hervé’s son Cyprien’s turn to run the show. Perhaps the hallmark achievement of Cyprien’s tenure has been his conversion of the domaine to biodynamic farming (certified in 2014). His cherished vineyards are plowed by horse, and as one of Arlaud’s importers has noted, Cyprien’s sister, Bertille, has become “one of the most important horse-ploughers in France.” How’s that for a credential?!
Cyprien’s approach in the cellar is described as “non-interventionist.” His cold cave, located in the village of Morey-St-Denis, enables him to minimize his use of sulfur, and his wines undergo very long, slow fermentations started only with native yeasts. The common thread across the Arlaud range is a high-toned refinement, even among the wines hailing from Gevrey-Charmbertin, which is traditionally known for woodsier, more broad-shouldered Burgundies. Arlaud’s Gevreys often have some of the perfume of great Morey-St-Denis or Chambolle-Musigny, while on the palate I’m brought back to the firm structure and darker fruit of Gevrey. In the glass, it’s a brilliant ruby-red with violet reflections, with highly perfumed aromas of wild strawberries; black raspberries; rose petals; white pepper; and that sous bois forest-floor/undergrowth note that outs it as top-flight red Burgundy. It starts out with glycerol-rich, perfumed, sweet red fruit, utterly delicious and charming, then firms up with some silty Gevrey tannin and crushed-stone minerality. Medium-plus in body and boasting a long, penetratingly aromatic finish, this is drinkable in its youth, but the real magic of this wine is 7-10 years away. If you do open one now, decant it at least an hour before serving in Burgundy stems at 60-65 degrees and serve it with something suitably elegant and classic. The attached recipe from Emeril Lagasse would make for a memorable pairing. Enjoy!
