Stephen Tanzer Reviews 2014 Arlaud Red Burgundy
Vinous Media: The Consistently Delectable 2014 Red Burgundies (Jan 2016)
Stephen Tanzer says that “Two thousand fourteen is a delicious midweight vintage with alluring fruit, juicy supporting acidity, expressive terroir character, supple tannins and considerable early appeal. Best of all, the wines display an attractive natural balance and elegance, and should offer at least medium-term ageability. It’s a more consistent vintage in quality than 2013…”
Here are highlights from Domaine Arlaud Pere et Fils from Morey-Saint-Denis.
2014 Domaine Arlaud Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru
Good bright, dark red. Explosive nose combines black raspberry, violet pastille, rose petal, licorice, bitter chocolate and minerals, along with a distinctive soil quality. Juicy, precise and penetrating, with very intense purple fruit flavors framed by brisk acidity. Really perfumes the mouth and wakes up the taste buds on the firmly tannic, very long finish, which conveys a strong impression of salty minerality. Delivers an uncanny combination of pure fruit, energy and salinity. -Stephen Tanzer
2014 Domaine Arlaud Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru
Healthy bright medium red. Totally different on the nose than the rest of the 2014s, offering aromas of musky red fruits, wild herbs and vegetable matter plus a touch of ripe-year prune without any impression of heat. The thick blueberry and blackberry fruit flavors boast terrific concentration but will need years to develop complexity. Finishes with big tongue-dusting tannins and superb palate-saturating length. -Stephen Tanzer
2014 Domaine Arlaud Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Good medium red; not the darkest of this collection of 2014s. Much more aromatic on the nose … offering scents of raspberry, boysenberry, flowers and spices. The wine’s balance of sweet and juicy is exhilarating. Airy, incisive and light on its feet for the vintage, with bright acidity hiding the wine’s underlying volume in the early going. Finishes very long and perfumed, with firm but very fine-grained building tannins. Still a bit youthfully imploded but offers terrific potential. -Stephen Tanzer
2014 Domaine Arlaud Morey-Saint-Denis Les Ruchots 1er Cru
Bright red-ruby. Sexy iron and fresh blood notes on the reduced nose. Rich, broad and mouthfilling without any heaviness, thanks to strong minerality. The wine’s red fruit flavors are under wraps today but show enough power and depth to support the serious, ripe tannins. For all its volume, this premier cru boasts terrific spine and energy. Arlaud told me that this cru “both eats and showcases the vintage,” by which he means that it can mask a vintage’s more obvious traits while presenting it to best advantage. -Stephen Tanzer
2014 Domaine Arlaud Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Combottes 1er Cru
Good bright red. Higher-pitched than the Ruchots, offering scents of blackberry, licorice and violet. Tightly wound and intense, showing attractive saline soil tones to the purple berry and mineral flavors. But with less fat than the Ruchots, the dusty, tongue-saturating tannins arrive earlier and cut off the fruit. Quite youthfully discreet for this wine, which is usually smokier at this early stage of its evolution. -Stephen Tanzer
2014 Domaine Arlaud Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Healthy dark red. Aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, licorice, anise and bitter chocolate show less floral character than the Combottes. Rich, fine-grained and deep, conveying a chocolatey ripeness but coming across as a bit earth-bound, with a slightly more rustic texture than the Combottes. This plush wine finishes with big, ripe, chewy tannins. -Stephen Tanzer
2014 Domaine Arlaud Morey-Saint-Denis Les Millandes 1er Cru
Bright, medium ruby-red. Sexy meaty reduction to the sweet aromas of purple fruits, violet, lilac and brown spices. Supple and sweet in the mouth, showing lovely inner-mouth energy and perfume thanks to harmonious acidity. Nicely delineated, fully ripe wine with a firmly tannic finish that will require at least three or four years of bottling aging. -Stephen Tanzer
2014 Domaine Arlaud Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers 1er Cru
Good bright, deep red. Cassis, blackberry and black cherry on the fruit-driven nose. The crumbly calcaire rock under clay gives the wine a strong mineral character, as it’s easy for the roots to nourish themselves, notes Arlaud. A soft, silky, nicely balanced mid-weight with purple fruit flavors accented by mineral traces and framed by well-integrated acidity. Finishes with surprising energy and length … -Stephen Tanzer
2014 Domaine Arlaud Chambolle-Musigny
Bright, dark red. Nicely ripe aromas of dark raspberry and espresso. Silky and suave in the mouth, with a restrained sweetness perfectly balanced by enticing minerality and harmonious acidity. Nicely fleshy village wine with excellent equilibrium from day one. -Stephen Tanzer
2014 Domaine Arlaud Gevrey-Chambertin
Good bright. full red. Musky animal reduction to the aromas of purple fruits and violet, with a spicy element providing lift. A tightly wound mid-weight with no excess flesh; much more black and purple fruit than red in character. Finishes firmly tannic and serious … -Stephen Tanzer