Why it matters
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 and vineyards
Where the wines begin
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 to know
The range in view
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.