Evenings like these have become a lovely tradition. About a year ago, we gathered to taste wines from Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, though the lineup was a little different then. A year later, we met again to try several wines from the 2019 vintage and be reminded of Charles Lachaux’s talent, which is unmistakable in the glass.
Since 2011, he has introduced a series of clear changes in the vineyard and cellar, and their effect on the style of the wines soon became evident. The vineyards were converted to the échalas training system, while vinification came to rely on whole clusters and no added sulphur at that stage. Where such practices often leave a distinctive sensory signature, Arnoux-Lachaux’s wines instead captivate with remarkable varietal purity and a strong sense of terroir. Each wine clearly reflects the character of the place where its grapes were grown.
Every wine in the set made a vivid impression, but the most moving were Les Grands Suchots 2018 and the monumental Romanée-Saint-Vivant.
Given its location, Suchots is rightly the finest wine from this vineyard. Its aromas of sweet red berries, dried roses, blood orange and a faint hint of watermelon are breathtaking. On the palate, the wine is seamless and delightful. Romanée-Saint-Vivant was even more moving. Blind, it felt like something between the wines of Leroy and Liger-Belair: piercing concentration, with sweet red berries, icing sugar, red pepper and dried flowers.
The other wines felt, in many ways, like continuations of one another, while showing the full diversity of the vineyards. Les Hautes Maizières, Les Chaumes, Echézeaux and the village-level Nuits-Saint-Georges were all wines of an extraordinary class.
The set confirmed Charles Lachaux’s talent and that his wines rightly belong among Burgundy’s very best.
Text and Photo by Greg Somm
