2023 Domaine Arlaud - Morey St. Denis Les Blanchards (750ml)

Cyprien Arlaud continues to run the family domaine his grandfather Joseph founded in 1942, farming a remarkable spread of Côte de Nuits vineyards with full biodynamic certification since 2014. The 2023 growing season called for two green harvests to rein in yields, bringing premier and grand cru parcels down to a modest level that favored concentration. As with the rest of the range, the premier crus receive a portion of whole-cluster fruit alongside careful hand sorting, all farmed on plots still worked with horse-drawn plows to protect the soil.

Les Blanchards is a small premier cru in the center of Morey-Saint-Denis, just below Clos des Lambrays, named for the pale limestone pebbles scattered through its soil. Arlaud's own holding is barely a quarter hectare of vines more than sixty years old, on a gentle east-facing slope. The wine ferments with native yeasts and ages in barrel with about a fifth new oak, then goes to bottle unfined and unfiltered.

The result is often described as the feminine, mineral face of Morey, bridging Gevrey's structure and Chambolle's grace. Bright acidity and lush fruit sit over a chalky backbone. Pair it with a grilled veal chop, roast quail, or Époisses.