Domaine Arlaud
About Domaine Arlaud
In 1942, Joseph Arlaud married Renée Amiot and it was the latter who brought deep Burgundian roots and swathes of Grand Cru vines to the partnership. Far from a lucky benefactor of a sizable dowry however, Joseph embarked on a project of extremely shrewd acquisitions over the next few years, growing the family Domaine to hold plots in an enviable four Grands Crus.
Culminating in the 1966 acquisition of the 14th Century cellar which adorns their label, Joseph Arlaud passed on one of the greatest Domaines in Burgundy to his diligent children. Today, it is his grandson Cyprien Arlaud who manages the estate, having taken over total control in 2013. Moving winemaking to more modern (and effective!) premises in Morey Saint Denis, the beautiful ancient cellar is now used to store the family reserves and host exclusive tastings.
Viniculture
One of the very first estates to recognise the importance of modern, low-intervention and biodynamic practices and their positive impacts on the soil and general terroir of this special region, Domaine Arlaud ceased use of all chemical herbicides as early as 1998 whilst drastically reducing all non-natural treatments at the same time. Slowly but surely over the course of Cyprien’s involvement amongst the vines, Domaine Arlaud was awarded the official status of fully Biodynamic by Veritas in 2014.
There is a desperation to convey the personality of both fruit and terroir at Domaine Arlaud, which culminates in extremely gentle and well-judged winemaking. After initial harvest, for example, grapes are sorted and destemmed by hand a further three times! Over recent years, some 30% of bunches are left whole, meaning tannin and structure is imbued naturally into the wine without the need for aggressive extraction and brutal pressing.
