Domaine Arlaud : Morey-Saint-Denis 1er cru "Les Ruchots" 2022

Characteristics and Tasting Notes for Domaine Arlaud's Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru "Les Ruchots" 2022

Tasting

Nose

The nose of this Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru "Les Ruchots" 2022 opens on ripe black and red fruit, lifted by noble spice and dried tobacco. Hints of melted tar and graphite bring a mineral edge, while a backdrop of undergrowth hints at the truffled notes this wine should reveal with further bottle age.

Palate

The palate is dense, powerful and complex, carried by a fine yet firm tannic structure. Ripe berry fruit and spice mingle with earthy, umami-toned notes of undergrowth before the wine closes on a long, saline finish marked by smoked tea and flint.

Food and wine pairings

This wine pairs naturally with refined red meats such as filet of beef or rack of lamb, as well as with roasted duck or game birds. Its savory, smoky finish also calls for mushroom- and truffle-based dishes, from a wild mushroom risotto to roasted poultry served with a truffle sauce.

Serving and cellaring

This Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru "Les Ruchots" 2022 is best served around 16°C, ideally after a brief decanting to soften the tannins and open up the bouquet. A wide Burgundy glass helps reveal its spiced, smoky and mineral aromas.

A Dense and Mineral Premier Cru from Morey-Saint-Denis

The Estate

Domaine Arlaud was created in 1942 in Morey-Saint-Denis, in the heart of Burgundy's Côte de Nuits. Today led by Cyprien Arlaud, who has overseen the family estate on his own since 2013, it farms roughly 17 hectares across 19 appellations, including four grand crus. The domaine has followed organic and biodynamic farming since the early 2000s, earning Biodyvin certification in 2014, and remains entirely family-owned, combining manual viticulture with horse plowing on its finest plots.

The Vineyard

This wine comes from the Les Ruchots climat in Morey-Saint-Denis, a 0.70-hectare plot planted in 1955 on a rocky, clay-limestone subsoil that extends the geological line of the Clos de la Roche grand cru. The vines, now more than 65 years old, are farmed organically and biodynamically, with plowing carried out by horse and all pruning and harvesting done entirely by hand.

The Vintage

The 2022 growing season in Burgundy was sunnier and more regular than the previous year, yielding riper, more generous fruit while preserving the balance and tension characteristic of the Côte de Nuits.

Winemaking and aging

Grapes for this Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru "Les Ruchots" 2022 are hand-harvested in small crates and sorted on three successive sorting lines. About one third of the fruit is vinified as whole clusters, while the remainder is destemmed but left uncrushed. Fermentation takes place in open vats with indigenous yeasts, with gentle extraction through foot punching over a 20- to 25-day maceration and fermentation period. The wine is then aged for 15 to 18 months in oak barrels, with no more than 20% new wood, and bottled according to lunar cycles without fining or filtration.

Grape Varieties

100% pinot noir.