Côte de Nuits domaine with biodynamic farming, named Vosne-Romanée parcels and low extraction Pinot Noir.
The producer
Domaine de l'Arlot is a Côte de Nuits domaine built around Pinot Noir, with a small Chardonnay planting for white wine. Geraldine Godot leads the cellar with minimal extraction and less new oak than in the past. The holdings include Grand Cru Romanée Saint-Vivant and Premier Cru Les Suchots in Vosne-Romanée, alongside Clos des Forêts Saint-Georges and Le Mont. The wines range from fresh raspberry and cherry to silky tannins, floral notes, black cherry and long finishes.
Known for
Vosne-Romanée Pinot Noir parcels
Notable facts
Les Suchots is certified organic and farmed biodynamically.
James Suckling scored Les Suchots 95 points.
Clos des Forêts Saint-Georges is a monopole.
Le Mont shows fresh raspberry and cherry with silky, enveloping tannins.
The story
AXA Takes Over
When AXA Millésimes acquired the property at the beginning of 1987, the buildings and vines moved into corporate stewardship. The arrangement was unusual in Burgundy's family estate tradition. The domaine later moved through organic certification and into biodynamic farming, with the biodynamic practice formalized in 2003. The same corporate stewardship covered both the estate's buildings and vines and a change in how those vines were farmed. AXA Millésimes held the property through that transition.
From the atlas
Domaine de l'Arlot
A Côte de Nuits domaine working Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with named Vosne-Romanée parcels and a low extraction cellar style.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Burgundy, Côte de Nuits
Domaine
Domaine de l'Arlot
Vineyard area
14 hectares
Main grape
Pinot Noir
White grape
Chardonnay
Key village parcels
Vosne-Romanée
Signature wines
Romanée Saint-Vivant Grand Cru and Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Suchots
The Producer
Geraldine Godot became Technical Director and winemaker at Domaine de l'Arlot in 2015. Her cellar approach keeps extraction to a minimum and uses less new oak than in the past.
The estate comprises 14 hectares, with 5% devoted to Chardonnay for white wine production. Organic certification came first, followed by biodynamic farming. The red wines are led by Pinot Noir, with named parcels carrying the domaine's most specific labels.
Place
Vosne-Romanée is the village behind two of the domaine's named parcels. Romanée Saint-Vivant is a Grand Cru, while Les Suchots is a Premier Cru, two levels within Burgundy's vineyard hierarchy. Grand Cru is the higher classification, and Premier Cru identifies a named site beneath it.
The two parcels were added to the domaine's holdings in 1991. Les Suchots lies opposite Romanée Saint-Vivant, placing the two wines in direct relation across the village landscape.
Wines
The named wines include Le Mont, a Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes release, Clos des Forêts Saint-Georges monopole, Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Suchots, and Romanée Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. A monopole is a vineyard controlled by one domaine. Clos des Forêts Saint-Georges produces a dense, firmly tannic wine, while Le Mont brings fresh raspberry and cherry with silky, enveloping tannins.
Les Suchots combines floral notes with raspberry, morello cherry and blackcurrant, followed by silky tannins and a deep, delicately velvety texture. Romanée Saint-Vivant brings black cherry, raspberry jelly, blackcurrant, violet and peony, with firm tannins and a very long, harmonious finish.
Les Suchots and Romanée Saint-Vivant are completely destemmed and fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts for 20 days. Les Suchots ferments in stainless steel, while Romanée Saint-Vivant ferments in wooden vats. Both wines age for 15 months in 228 litre French oak barrels, with 40% new oak for Les Suchots and 50% for Romanée Saint-Vivant.
Final Word
Domaine de l'Arlot joins named Côte de Nuits parcels to organic and biodynamic farming, minimal extraction and reduced new oak. Its bottles run from Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes to Grand Cru, with the two Vosne-Romanée wines separated by parcel, vineyard rank, fermentation vessel and oak use.