Arnoux-Lachaux has become one of the most talked-about domaines in Burgundy with wines now fully in the new style and at greatly increased prices. Basically, for style, quality, and price think Domaine Leroy and Jean-Yves Bizot, two other domaines that coincidentally are also located in Vosne-Romanée.
Harvesting began on 3 September with the vineyards in Vosne-Romanée. Volumes were down 50%. Charles Lachaux described the quantities as ideal, giving concentrated wines. He has used more leaf cover, all whole clusters, and vinfied the wines without SO2. The highest alcohol was 13.2º. Pigeages (punch downs) were limited to one to three times per day in order to avoid extracting too much. Malo-lactic fermentations went quickly -- many finished by November, and the latest finished in January.
New oak is 10-12% for the village wines, a maximum of 20% for the premier cru wines, and a maximum of 30% for the grand cru wines. That’s quite a change from the days of Charles’s father when substantially more new oak (up to 100% for top wines) was employed.
Other changes include use of ultra-light tractors (20% of normal weight) in the vineyards to prevent soil compaction, and, importantly, working biodynamically. With respect to the biodynamic practices, this has been going on for some time and the estate is now certified, although Charles will not put the certification on the wine labels.
Two things to keep in mind about the wines being made here:
To add to the great work Charles is doing, the estate has a magnificent set of vineyards, often with the best or among the best plots of a given appellation; and
2. Although these wines are stylistically different from the wines Charles’s father Pascal Lachaux made, those earlier wines were quite good within the context of their time.
2018 Bourgogne Pinot Fin
Pure red fruits, especially strawberries, and a little cassis in the nose. Mouth is pure, precise, fresh with dark fruits. This wine had the highest yield of the estate in 2018 -- 35 hl/ha. As always, among the best Bourgogne rouges of the vintage. (89-91)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges
Cassis in nose and mouth, fresh, balance, finesse. (90-92)
2018 Chambolle-Musigny
Pure dark fruits, finesse, precision, length, and lightness. (90-92)
2018 Vosne-Romanée
Red fruits, spice, harmonious; light but intense, focused. (90-92)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Poisots
Affected by the hail, yield here was only 13 hl/ha. Dark fruits with purity, focus, and elegance. A bit more concentration and tannin than in the foregoing wines. (90-92)
2018 Vosne-Romanée Hautes Maizières
Dark and spicy aromas and flavors. Richness from the clay soils, yet also elegant. (92-94)
And these two wines from bottle indicate that the 2017 vintage is highly successful here, too:
2017 Chambolle-Musigny
This wine is more concentrated than its 2018 counterpart with a silky texture, pure strawberry fruit, and good length. 92/A
2017 Vosne-Romanée Hautes Maizières
Despite the sensuality of the texture, this wine is almost weightless on the tongue and features dark fruits that are pure and long. An ethereal wine. 93/A+