The 2009 Nuits St. Georges Clos des Forets Saint Georges is a huge, brooding wine. Smoke, tar, incense and wild cherries are some of the nuances that emerge from this muscular, intense Burgundy. The fruit builds with notable drive towards the unstoppable finish. This will require considerable patience, but it is strikingly beautiful. Leriche used 95% whole clusters here. I tasted a blend from five different barrels, each consisting of fruit from vineyards of different ages. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034. 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
Published: May 02, 2011