2008 Nuits St Georges Clos de l'Arlot
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Tasting notes
The 2008 Nuits St. Georges Clos de L’Arlot possesses striking perfume, well-articulated fruit and tons of class. This is a very typical 2008 in its graceful personality and medium body. The wine needs a few years for the tannins to soften, but all of the ingredients are present for this to be a highly rewarding bottle in a few years’ time. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028. Domaine de L’Arlot has been an organic estate for ten years. In 2009 Olivier Leriche began harvesting on September 7 and ended around the 15th. The wines were vinified with a higher than normal percentage of whole clusters and spent 20-25 days on the skins. I tasted most of the 2009s from barrel. Leriche planned to bottle the wines with no fining or filtration. I also tasted a handful of 2008s. The 2008s were bottled between April and July 2010 (a bit on the late side because of the lengthy malos) with no fining or filtration. Various American importers, including: A Daniel Johnnes Selection imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY, tel. (516) 677 9300; Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, MA; tel. (781) 278-2000; Triage Wines Inc., Seattle, WA; tel. (503) 236-6262; Chambers & Chambers, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 642-5500; Ansonia Wines, Washington D.C.; tel. (202) 506-4215; USA Wine Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 941-7133
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Allen Meadows, Burghound
More reviews and scores
(vinified with 30% whole clusters): Good medium red. Aromas of strawberry, pepper and herbs lifted by a pungent note of blood orange. Juicy, tight, pure and suave; youthfully imploded today but very fresh. Less broad than the 2009 version but pristine and long, with firm, fine tannins and solid minerality.
(50% vendange entier Good bright, dark red. Musky red fruits and tobacco on the expressive nose; smells deeper than the Petits Plets. Then sweet and fine-grained in the mouth, with complex flavors of raspberry, strawberry and stony minerality accented by peppery spices. This has very good energy and definition and a lovely spine of minerality.
Diffuse nose reminiscent of wild vegetation. Herbal and quite interesting. But pretty stolid au fond. Not especially long. (JR)