Region: Burgundy
Sub Region: Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Forêts Saint Georges Monopole
Variety: Pinot Noir
Country: France
Vintage: 2023
The Wine
If there is one wine that defines Domaine de l'Arlot, it is Clos des Forêts Saint Georges. Covering 7.2 hectares in a single walled vineyard, this historic monopole is one of the great terroirs of Nuits-Saint-Georges and has been synonymous with the estate since its foundation in 1891. Unlike many Premier Crus that comprise numerous growers and disparate parcels, Clos des Forêts is a single, uninterrupted vineyard, allowing the domaine to farm and vinify the site with extraordinary precision.
The vineyard is remarkable for its geological diversity, spanning the entire limestone slope. Ladoix limestone forms the lower section, Premeaux limestone dominates the mid-slope, while white oolitic limestone appears higher on the hill, all interspersed with pockets of ochre silt. This mosaic of soils gives the wine its unique personality: the power and depth expected of Nuits-Saint-Georges, married to an uncommon elegance, perfume and mineral precision. Biodynamically farmed since 2014, the old vines are managed with meticulous attention to soil health and biodiversity, producing naturally low yields of exceptional fruit.
Under Géraldine Godot, Domaine de l'Arlot has refined its winemaking philosophy to favour transparency over extraction. Fruit is hand harvested, carefully sorted and partially fermented with whole bunches, depending on the vintage, before indigenous yeast fermentation. Gentle extraction preserves perfume and texture, while élevage takes place in French oak barrels, around 35–40% new, for approximately 15 months. The result is a wine that captures both the authority of this celebrated monopole and the increasingly refined style that has established Domaine de l'Arlot among Burgundy's elite producers.
Produced in very limited quantities, Clos des Forêts Saint Georges is widely regarded as one of the benchmark wines of the Côte de Nuits and a reference point for what great Nuits-Saint-Georges can achieve.
Cellared Says
This is the wine I gravitate towards in the Arlot range. It has all the depth and longevity you'd expect from a great Nuits-Saint-Georges, but what continually surprises me is its perfume and finesse. There aren't many monopoles in Burgundy that consistently perform at this level, and Clos des Forêts is undoubtedly one of them. It's a serious collector's wine that will comfortably reward two decades in a good cellar.
Reviews
"Spice- and earth-driven with a lovely restrained edge, giving aromas of cherries, bark, blood oranges, charcuterie, dried rose petals and graphite. The palate is chewy and tactile, with firmly framed tannins and focused acidity, finishing with a mineral undertone. There is a lot of complexity and character to come with more time in the bottle."
97 Points – James Suckling
"The Clos des Forêts Saint Georges covers the entire geological range of the slopes of Nuits-Saint-Georges... a unique terroir in a privileged location that has, from its origin, produced one of the appellation's greatest wines."
95–97 Points – Neal Martin, Vinous
Region: Burgundy
Sub Region: Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Forêts Saint Georges Monopole
Variety: Pinot Noir
Country: France
Vintage: 2023
The Wine
If there is one wine that defines Domaine de l'Arlot, it is Clos des Forêts Saint Georges. Covering 7.2 hectares in a single walled vineyard, this historic monopole is one of the great terroirs of Nuits-Saint-Georges and has been synonymous with the estate since its foundation in 1891. Unlike many Premier Crus that comprise numerous growers and disparate parcels, Clos des Forêts is a single, uninterrupted vineyard, allowing the domaine to farm and vinify the site with extraordinary precision.
The vineyard is remarkable for its geological diversity, spanning the entire limestone slope. Ladoix limestone forms the lower section, Premeaux limestone dominates the mid-slope, while white oolitic limestone appears higher on the hill, all interspersed with pockets of ochre silt. This mosaic of soils gives the wine its unique personality: the power and depth expected of Nuits-Saint-Georges, married to an uncommon elegance, perfume and mineral precision. Biodynamically farmed since 2014, the old vines are managed with meticulous attention to soil health and biodiversity, producing naturally low yields of exceptional fruit.
Under Géraldine Godot, Domaine de l'Arlot has refined its winemaking philosophy to favour transparency over extraction. Fruit is hand harvested, carefully sorted and partially fermented with whole bunches, depending on the vintage, before indigenous yeast fermentation. Gentle extraction preserves perfume and texture, while élevage takes place in French oak barrels, around 35–40% new, for approximately 15 months. The result is a wine that captures both the authority of this celebrated monopole and the increasingly refined style that has established Domaine de l'Arlot among Burgundy's elite producers.
Produced in very limited quantities, Clos des Forêts Saint Georges is widely regarded as one of the benchmark wines of the Côte de Nuits and a reference point for what great Nuits-Saint-Georges can achieve.
Cellared Says
This is the wine I gravitate towards in the Arlot range. It has all the depth and longevity you'd expect from a great Nuits-Saint-Georges, but what continually surprises me is its perfume and finesse. There aren't many monopoles in Burgundy that consistently perform at this level, and Clos des Forêts is undoubtedly one of them. It's a serious collector's wine that will comfortably reward two decades in a good cellar.
Reviews
"Spice- and earth-driven with a lovely restrained edge, giving aromas of cherries, bark, blood oranges, charcuterie, dried rose petals and graphite. The palate is chewy and tactile, with firmly framed tannins and focused acidity, finishing with a mineral undertone. There is a lot of complexity and character to come with more time in the bottle."
97 Points – James Suckling
"The Clos des Forêts Saint Georges covers the entire geological range of the slopes of Nuits-Saint-Georges... a unique terroir in a privileged location that has, from its origin, produced one of the appellation's greatest wines."
95–97 Points – Neal Martin, Vinous
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