Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France
Old archives describe the presence of Jean-Charles Vienot, an heir from a long line of Burgundians and owner of a house and vines at the end of the eighteenth century in the village of Prémeaux. He was an enterprising man who built a wall around the domaine and thus created the Clos de l'Arlot.
In 1891, the property was sold to a wine merchant, Jules Belin, who enlarged the estate through his purchase of the Clos des Forêts Saint Georges and the Clos du Chapeau, the whole of which went to form the Domaine de l'Arlot.
Domaine de l'Arlot is the site of the former Domaine Jules Belin in Prémeaux, located just south of Nuits St. Georges. The Domaine was co-owned by Jean-Pierre De Smet, who spent about eight years alongside Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac before taking over at Arlot in 1986, and Lise Judet. Today, 14 hectares are planted with Pinot Noir for the red wines, with about 5% devoted to Chardonnay and Pinot Gris for the whites. The oldest vines are about 60+ years old, with the average age around 35. The Domaine has two premier cru Monopoles: Clos des Forêts Saint Georges (7 hectares) and Clos de L'Arlot (4 hectares). The Clos de L'Arlot also produces about 3,000 bottles of a rare white Nuits St. Georges. The Nuits St. George AC is made from the young Clos des Forêts vines, producing about 3,000 bottles. The Côte de Nuits Villages Clos du Chapeau is only about 3 hectares.
The Domaine has been organic since 2000 and biodynamics have been adopted since 2003, all in the effort for better quality Burgundy. The wines are vinified with as little interference as possible, following time honored traditions, allowing the terroirs to speak for themselves.
The wish to express the truth of the terroirs also means a particular way of looking at the élévage of the wines. To control the origin of the staves and the making of the casks, the Domaine de l'Arlot has initiated an original approach. It calls upon a wood dealer who buys oaks in the best forests and cuts them into staves. The wood ages in the open air on the domaine, in all weathers. After 2 to 3 years, the oak is delivered to a cooper who makes the casks according to a very precise schedule of conditions. This way, the heating of the staves, which enable them to curve, is requested to be "very light" to "light" to preserve the taste of the wine. The wines of Domaine de L'Arlot are aged in about one third new wood from the Allier forest and are bottled after 16-18 months for the premier crus, 14-15 months for the village wines. The reds are bottled unfiltered.
In 2007, management of the Domaine was handed over to Olivier Leriche, who had worked at the domaine for many years under Jean-Pierre de Smet. In 2011, Olivier left to start his own winery, and Jacques Devauges was recruited as his successor. Jacques had previously been the director at Maison Frédéric Magnien and Domaine Michel Magnien in Morey Saint-Denis. Jacques is committed to maintaining the classic, elegant style that has come to define the wines of Domaine de L’Arlot.