2010 Domaine Arlaud Clos St.-Denis

Domaine Arlaud Pere et Fils is in Morey-St.-Denis, Burgundy. The family-owned domaine now is run by Cyprien Arlaud with help from his younger brother. Domaine Arlaud owns or leases 37 acres which include Grand Cru vineyards in Clos de la Roche, Clos Saint-Denis and Bonnes-Mares. There are also Premier Cru parcels in Morey-Saint-Denis, Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny. Burgundy writers are consistently impressed with the domain’s wines. Clive Coates has written that “I find the Arlaud wines very pure and fragrant. This is a very good address.” Many of the wines are made in small quantities of fewer than 100 cases.

Clos St.-Denis is a 16-acre Grand Cru vineyard in the Morey St.-Denis appellation in Northern Burgundy. In fact the village of Morey St.-Denis gets part of its name from this vineyard. In 1927 the village voted to add St.-Denis to Morey. Like its neighboring Grand Cru vineyards, Clos St.-Denis is rocky, well-drained, and composed largely of limestone and pebbles. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that three of “the greatest Burgundies I have ever tasted” came from this vineyard. (They were produced by Dujac, Ponsot and Georges Lignier.) The largest landholders are Georges Lignier, with 3.7 acres; Dujac, with 3.68 acres; and Drouhin, with 1.8 acres.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.