Description

What a magnificent bottle this Romanée-Saint-Vivant from Follin-Arbelet is! … This red Grand Cru from the Côte de Nuits is one of Burgundy’s most renowned terroirs. It has a deep colour, with aromas of violets and red and black berries of remarkable intensity. On the palate, the wine possesses a fine, delicately powdery texture, exuding a hint of mocha. It beautifully expresses the finesse of this major terroir with a deliciously refined mouthfeel. The tannins remain very silky and elegant, providing exceptional length. The balance and density of this type of wine allow for excellent ageing potential (15–30 years).

In the vineyard

This beautiful 0.50-hectare plot of Romanée-Saint-Vivant is situated at the foot of the legendary Romanée-Conti. It consists of brown, highly clayey limestone soils resting on a bed of hard limestone.

The Follin-Arbelet estate practises regular ploughing. No weedkillers, no chemical fertilisers. Minimal use of plant protection products, applied only in calm weather. Exclusive use of small, light tractors to prevent soil compaction. Great care and attention are taken in pruning, debudding and trellising. This ensures the grapes are in perfect health and have reached excellent ripeness by harvest time.

In the cellar

Hand-harvested. Grapes selected and sorted as they are cut. Transport is carried out in crates via regular shuttle services to prevent crushing and maceration. The Pinot Noir grapes are 100% destemmed and placed in vats. Each plot is vinified entirely in its own open oak vat. After a few days of maceration at 15°–17°, alcoholic fermentation begins naturally thanks to indigenous yeasts. This is followed by two weeks of vatting, during which punching down, pumping over and, if necessary, light chaptalisation are carried out.

Once fermentation is complete, the wine is drawn off and the pomace pressed in a pneumatic press. The press juice obtained is blended, either in full or in part depending on tasting, with the first wine for a settling period of 24–48 hours. All the wines are then transferred by gravity to the cellars beneath the winery, into oak barrels: 15–75% new barrels are used each year depending on the appellation.

The ageing periods vary from 16 to 20 months depending on the appellation and vintage. A first racking is carried out one year after malolactic fermentation to remove the initial coarse lees. A second racking takes place before bottling to blend the different barrels of each cuvée. This racking, carried out with the utmost care, then allows for bottling without filtration. The cool cellar temperature aids in the wines’ excellent clarification. This absence of filtration, a more delicate process to carry out, preserves the wines’ richness and complexity as well as their ageing potential. However, a slight sediment in the bottles is always inevitable.