DOMAINE ARNOUX-LACHAUX, 2019 VINTAGE EN PRIMEUR

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DOMAINE ARNOUX-LACHAUX

2019 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR

EXCLUSIVE TO CORNEY & BARROW IN THE UK

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“The 2019s are special. It really struck us how all the changes we have made in the vineyard and cellar have had an impact.

It’s the best vintage we have made so far.”

CHARLES LACHAUX, July 2021

THE 100% VINTAGE 2019 is the first vintage to fulfil Charles Lachaux’s aims of 100% ‘arching’ of the vine canes and 100% whole cluster fermentation.

There is a pleasing simplicity in absolutes. Charles Lachaux now has his vineyard and his cellar as he wants them – long, untrimmed vine arches and gleaming whole bunches in the fermentation vats. 2019 is the year the plan came together.

Not all dials are set to 100 though. New oak use and vinification times continue to dwindle. The fermentations all took place within three days. In some cases, grapes picked in the morning were already fermenting by the evening. The maximum time any cuvée spent in vat was nine days.

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Charles puts this speed and ease of fermentation down to the use of biodynamic practices and the absence of vine trimming or added sulphur dioxide until the end of the malolactic conversion.

For me, 2019 at Arnoux-Lachaux is the year in which the signature sappy, exotic spices of whole cluster fermentation have attained seamless integration with the terroir expression, serving to heighten it, in a way only seen at the very greatest domaines.

The fruit is shockingly pure and at times seems more aroma than liquid, a sort of sublimation of the vineyard.

Once or twice, despite my best intentions to spit out a tasting sample, there was nothing left…

The wines of Nuits-Saint-Georges are a particular joy in 2019, defying the village’s tendency towards the dark and granular, exulting in supple generosity. Similarly, the Pinot Fin has outdone itself and has to be the Bourgogne Rouge of the vintage!

GUY SEDDON July 2021

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HISTORY The domaine was founded in 1858.

Robert Arnoux, Charles Lachaux’s grandfather, was born in 1931 and took over upon his father’s death in 1957.

Robert Arnoux and his wife Clotilde Truchetet really established the framework of the domaine, introducing estate bottling and expanding the holdings. In 1984, they acquired the 0.35 hectare plot of Romanée-Saint-Vivant.

Charles’ parents are Florence Arnoux-Lachaux, the daughter of Robert Arnoux, and Pascal Lachaux. Pascal worked with his father-in-law until Robert’s death in 1995.

Pascal and Florence extended the cellars and built a new winery in 2005.

In 2008, the 0.53 hectare holding of Latricières-Chambertin was acquired and the domaine’s name was changed from Domaine Robert Arnoux to Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux.

2007 was the first vintage bottled under the new name.

Since Pascal’s departure in 2019, the domaine has been run by Florence and Charles, the fifth and sixth generations respectively.

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VINEYARD HOLDINGS Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux owns 14.5 hectares of Pinot Noir, spanning six villages and 15 terroirs.

Four grands crus, five premiers crus, five villages wines and the Bourgogne ‘Pinot Fin’.

POUR ACCEPTATION CARTE:Mise en page 1

21/01/16

11:47

Page 1

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VOSNE-ROMANÉE 1ER CRU AUX REIGNOTS

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES LES POISETS

VOSNE-ROMANÉE 1ER CRU LES CHAUMES

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES 1ER CRU LES PROCÈS

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES 1ER CRU CLOS DES CORVÉES PAGETS

Ca Cuv Bur Dégus

BOURGOGNE ‘PINOT FIN’

BOURGOGNE ‘PINOT FIN’ NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES

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GRANDS CRUS Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru Quartier de Marei Haut Échézeaux Les Rouges Grand Cru Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru

HOLDINGS IN HECTARES (ha) 0.45 ha 0.80 ha 0.35 ha, acquired 1984 0.53 ha, acquired 2008

PREMIERS CRUS Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Procès Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Corvées Pagets Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Grands Suchots Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots

0.70 ha 0.55 ha 0.74 ha 0.43 ha 0.20 ha

VILLAGES Nuits-Saint-Georges Villages Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Poisets Vosne-Romanée Villages Vosne-Romanée Hautes Maizières Chambolle-Musigny Villages

1.42 ha 0.70ha 0.57 ha 0.60 ha 1.62 ha

BOURGOGNE Bourgogne Pinot Fin

9 VOSNE-ROMANÉE 1ER CRU LES GRANDS SUCHOTS

LATRICIÈRES-CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU

ÉCHÉZEAUX LES ROUGES GRAND CRU CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY

Gevrey-Chambertin

ave verie reau station

ROMANÉE-SAINT-VIVANT GRAND CRU VOSNE-ROMANÉE

VOSNE-ROMANÉE LES HAUTES MAIZIÈRES

CLOS DE VOUGEOT GRAND CRU QUARTIER DE MAREI HAUT

BOURGOGNE ‘PINOT FIN’

Reproduced with thanks to Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux

VITICULTURE The domaine’s vines were entirely untrimmed for the first time in the 2019 vintage.

Instead of trimming the nascent shoots, the vine canes were bent into arches, in what has now become the signature approach at Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux (as well as at Domaines Leroy and d’Auvenay, and Domaine JeanYves Bizot).

The logic here is that the root growth is linked to that of the shoots. Trimming the shoots can curtail root growth, in turn reducing the supply of nutrients to the vine.

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The higher leaf-to-fruit ratio speeds phenolic maturity, meaning harvest happens 7-10 days earlier than before.

Alcohols are also lower: in 2019, they ranged from 12.5 13.5% abv – similar to 2018 and very modest by today’s standards. A third result is smaller berries, with thicker skins, requiring only light tannin extraction.

Charles’ team has spent an inordinate amount of time on curetage, manually cutting out dead or infected wood from vines, using small electric saws. Retaining old vines in this way is preferable to uprooting and replanting, as recovery rates are good. A new vine training system has also been adopted which results in fewer pruning wounds, the principal cause of wood infection.

Charles follows both organics and biodynamics. Organic certification is pending but there are no plans to state this on the label. He is rightly sceptical about the use of copper and sulphur (both permitted by organics) and the effects that they have on the long-term life of the soil. Vineyard and cellar work is aligned with lunar phases.

A small parcel of Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots, accounting for around a fifth of the domaine’s total holding, was replanted in 2015, at a density of 17,000 vines per hectare, nearly twice the current average at the domaine.

This will be in production as of next year, the 2020 vintage.

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CELLAR The 2019 vintage was vinified entirely as whole clusters. This has been Charles’ aim since taking charge of the cellar in 2015.

The domaine’s viticultural practices feed directly into the cellar: longer-shooted vines result in higher potassium levels and very slightly lower acidity in the finished wines.

The 2019s fermented quicker than ever, vinification taking 6.5 to 9 days (versus 9 to 11 days in 2018).

The wines are then transferred to 228 litre barrels. New oak use is restrained and diminishing: in 2019, Charles said that the wines saw “slightly less” than the 2018s. By my estimation, this means the grands crus are below 30% new oak, the premiers crus around 15% and the villages wines 10%. No new oak was used for the 2019 Bourgogne Pinot Fin. Extraction consists of a combination of foot-treading, punching-down and pumping-over. There is no filtration.

Since the 2010 vintage, long 54mm corks have been used, which require an especially long bottle-neck.

Sulphur dioxide is used very sparingly, after malolactic fermentation and again before bottling. Bottling is scheduled in accordance with the biodynamic calendar.

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THE 2019 VINTAGE IN NUMBERS 100% of the 14.5 hectare estate was ‘arched’ in 2019. This was made possible by the 30,000 higher posts that have been installed throughout the domaine’s holdings.

Flowering started around 7th June Véraison (colour change) peaked on 24th & 25th July

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Harvest began on 12th September, finishing on the 18th Yields were the lowest since the tiny 2016 vintage: • 24hl/ha for the Bourgogne Pinot Fin • 19-22hl/ha for the villages wines • 15hl/ha for Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Poisets (which was hailed in the previous vintage, 2018) • 16-20hl/ha for the premiers crus (other than Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Grands Suchots) • 13-19hl/ha for Suchots and the grands crus Alcohol levels are between 12.5% and 13.5% abv The domaine has a permanent team of just 5 (plus Charles and Florence)

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TASTING NOTES

BOURGOGNE ‘PINOT FIN’

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY

This is a blend of seven plots. Approximately half is from Chambolle-Musigny and a quarter from each of VosneRomanée and Nuits-Saint-Georges. The label ‘Pinot Fin’ underlines the old vines and particularly concentrated fruit here. Very pure, very pretty rose and strawberry aromas, with peppery spices. The palate is resonant, translucent, the bright Pinot fruit lifted by fresh acidity and fine sappy spices. This is really a village-level blend.

100% whole bunch fermentation, as are all the 2019s.

13.5% abv.

From five plots, totalling 1.62 hectares, grouped at the very top of the Chambolle slope, near the limestone cliffs.

All are north/north-east facing, retaining freshness.

Bright mid-ruby colour. Aromas of violets, roses, wild strawberry and cranberry, with peppery and exotic spices. The palate is cool and focused on the entry, resolutely red berried and pure, with fine, detailed tannins emerging on the mid-palate, working in tandem with sappy tea-leaf spices. Seems to evaporate in your mouth, ephemeral. 13% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18 Recommended drinking from 2022 - 2026

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 Recommended drinking from 2023 - 2029

£260/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

£495/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES

VOSNE-ROMANÉE

This comes from 1.42 hectares of vines, spread across seven lieux-dits in the north of Nuits-Saint-Georges, starting just beyond the town and approaching the boundary with Vosne-Romanée. Dark sappy spices and rocky minerality on the nose here, really capturing the gritty elegance of Nuits-Saint-Georges. The 100% whole bunch fermentation integrates deftly on the palate, the exotic spices infusing effortlessly with the cool dark berry fruit and supple tannins. The residue in the glass is supremely aromatic, wonderful. 13.5% abv.

This is from two lieux-dits in Vosne-Romanée, Aux Saules and Aux Communes, which run in long strips from the village down to the road. The total surface area is 0.57 hectares. Dried herbs and tea leaves on the nose, with a granular, crystalline purity of raspberry fruit aromas.

You could smell this for ages. The palate is the most substantial of the village-level wines, a sense of gravitas yet lightness and, again, purity – the fruit is pristine.

Raspberry and cranberry, framed by fine tannins, a notch firmer than those of the Nuits and Chambolle.

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 Recommended drinking from 2023 - 2028

Corney & Barrow Score 18 Recommended drinking from 2023 - 2029

£395/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

£495/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

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NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES LES POISETS

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES 1ER CRU LES PROCÈS

Poisets lies between the town of Nuits-Saint-Georges and Prémeaux-Prissey. The domaine has 0.7 hectares here. Prémeaux was hit by hail in 2018, meaning yields in 2019 were again tiny, just 15hl/ha. A further misfortune is that this bottle was broken in transit so we didn’t manage to taste it. I therefore asked Charles to describe it over the phone – he said that tasted blind, you would not put this in Nuits-Saint-Georges – it is “fleshy, fruity, supple and very flavoursome, as if it were the juice of recently crushed grapes.” Just four barrels.

The domaine’s 0.70 hectares of Procès overlook the town of Nuits-Saint-Georges. This is so true to type, the dark berried, briny, peppery granularity and soaring dark perfume of Nuits-St-Georges rising effortlessly from the glass. The palate chimes with energy, dark and sappy fruits driven on by a fresh core of acidity. Very fine tannins exert the merest squeeze on the finish. A wine of momentum, streamlined, with liquorice and bitter cherry flavours lingering. 13% abv.

Recommended drinking from 2024 - 2034

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18 Recommended drinking from 2025 - 2035

£545/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

£695/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES 1ER CRU CLOS DES CORVÉES PAGETS

VOSNE-ROMANÉE LES HAUTES MAIZIÈRES

This 0.55 hectare plot of over 70 year-old vines is the domaine’s southernmost holding, situated within the Clos des Corvées, in Prémeaux-Prissey. Dark cherries and fine, powdery (almost volcanic) earthy minerality on the nose. The palate is translucent, with almost no sensation of fruit weight on the entry, the dark cherried, blackberry flavours building around the sappy core of whole-bunch spice. A refreshingly modest 12.5% abv.

Hautes-Maizières lies down-slope from Échézeaux. The domaine has a 0.6 hectare plot, just south of the Clos de Vougeot. For Charles, the iron-rich soil means, “more tenderness and less power.” Bright ruby colour. Intense aromas of raspberry, blueberry and plum, with a purefruited persistence. The palate brims with energy – pure, saturated raspberry and strawberry flavours are framed by fine, assertive tannins. Here too, the whole bunch spices have found another level of integration this year.

13.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18 Recommended drinking from 2023 - 2032 £925/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

Corney & Barrow Score 18 Recommended drinking from 2025 - 2033 £575/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

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Tasting Guide Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection.

Wines are scored out of 20. Customers seem to like it and it has the benefit of simplicity. We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark. When a ‘+’ is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score.

Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers. Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine.

A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.

VOSNE-ROMANÉE 1ER CRU LES CHAUMES

ÉCHÉZEAUX GRAND CRU LES ROUGES

The domaine has under a hectare in Chaumes, a vineyard with clay-dominant soils, just below Malconsorts and a stone’s throw from La Tâche. Sweet red-fruited aromas which remain quite shy and encased, eventually emerging from their shell accompanied by exotic spices and fresh mint. The palate is vivacious and buoyed on a wave of fresh acidity, with a phenomenal depth of bright raspberry fruit, framed by chalky, fine tannins. 13% abv.

This cuvée name was also introduced last vintage, reflecting that the majority of these grapes come from the heart of Les Échézeaux, in Les Rouges du Bas. The domaine has almost one hectare, spread over two parcels. This has long been one of the jewels of ArnouxLachaux. Mid-ruby colour. Aromas of raspberry compote and dried exotic spices. The palate’s pure raspberry fruit is framed by supple tannins, beautifully weighted.

Another wine that mysteriously disappears in the mouth, the innate power of Échézeaux just reappearing on the assertive finish. 13.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18.5 Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2036 £775/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK

Corney & Barrow Score 18.5 Recommended drinking from 2028 - 2038+ £1,075/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK

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VOSNE-ROMANÉE 1ER CRU LES GRANDS SUCHOTS

ROMANÉE-SAINT-VIVANT GRAND CRU

As of last year, the domaine reverted to its historical name for this wine, permitted as it comes from a distinctive, flatter section at the very top of the vineyard, bordering Les Beaux-Monts. 0.43 hectares, with 95+ year-old vines.

Mid-ruby colour. Intricate, dried herb aromas, with tea leaf spices, at an almost potpourri level of intensity. The palate is saline and focused on the entry, a weighty sense of dry extract and supple tannin refreshed by taut acidity.

Savoury and tapering on the long finish. 13% abv.

This 0.35 hectare plot was acquired in 1984 by Charles’ grandparents. It is beside La Grande Rue, planted with nearly century-old vines. Parma violets, summer roses, white pepper and incense, such a complex nose which you could come back to indefinitely. The palate is airy and acid-driven on the attack, lifted and fine, with a core of whole bunch sap around which emerge flavours of raspberry, cranberry and red cherry. Fresh acidity persists on the focused finish, sustaining rather wonderful retronasal pyrotechnics. 12.5% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18.5 - 19 Recommended drinking from 2027 - 2037+ £1,395/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK

Corney & Barrow Score 19 Recommended drinking from 2028 - 2038 £2,495/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK

CLOS DE VOUGEOT GRAND CRU QUARTIER DE MAREI HAUT

LATRICIÈRES-CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU

The domaine has a half-hectare holding in the Quartier de Marei Haut, a lieu-dit which has been included in the wine’s name from last year. It lies at the top end of the Clos de Vougeot, opposite Grands-Échézeaux. Deep, glass-staining ruby colour. Sweet blackberry aromas, with bitter cherry, prune, plum, even leather. The intense palate revels in lush red cherries, blackcurrant and firm, gently grippy tannins. Extract permeates the palate, which finishes long, fruit-laden and powerful. 13.5% abv.

The domaine acquired its 0.53 hectare plot of Latricières in 2008. Situated to the north, in Gevrey-Chambertin, this is an outpost. Bitter cherry aromas, with a core of sweet-fruited raspberry and red cherry, building to an almost candied intensity. This is the coolest of the Gevrey grands crus and habitually the most darkly-fruited – but this is something else… The palate is joyously red berried and sucrose-laden, exuberant and extrovert, unlike any young Latricières I have tasted. 13% abv.

Corney & Barrow Score 18+ Recommended drinking from 2028 - 2038

Corney & Barrow Score 18.5 - 19 Recommended drinking from 2027 - 2037

£895/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK

£1,195/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK

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