The 2015 Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru Les Millandes, which Cyprien Arlaud told me was the only cru to be racked, has a delightful raspberry and blueberry-scented bouquet with a hint of iodine. The palate is medium-bodied with sweet ripe tannin, quite forward and dense with good, solid grip in the mouth, then veering towards a rounded and sweet, almost plush finish. I would like just see a little more restraint by the time of bottling and if so, it should turn out very fine.

From two parcels that are 25 and 48 years old, the 2013 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru les Millandes has a fragrant and quite floral bouquet that is very harmonious, if not quite as complex or as nuanced as the Chambolle Sentiers' 13. The palate is actually better than the nose suggests: fine and quite firm tannin, pure black fruit and more mineral notes on the finish that you can shake a stick at. Once the aromatics begin to open (after 3 or 4 years in bottle) this will be a serious Morey Millandes.

The 2012 Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru Millandes is one of best 2012s from the domaine this year. From their 0.41 hectares of vines, it is endowed with a floral bouquet: dried petals infusing the red fruit profile. Again, this is backwards and taut, yet with encouragement it begins to show just how much energy is coiled inside. The palate is medium-bodied with well-integrated oak. It has a smooth velvety texture and a harmonious long finish. It perhaps just needs to develop a little more tension, but otherwise this is outstanding. After scheduling and re-scheduling numerous times during my November tastings, I finally reached Domaine Arlaud Pere & Fils for the first time in late January. But good things come to those that wait and I found much to admire in Cyprien Arlaud’s 2012s. The origin of the estate dates back to a wedding in 1949 when Joseph Arlaud married Renee Amiot. Among the wedding presents were tracts of vineyard, which is always more useful than a toaster or an ornamental clock. Joseph was succeeded by Herve Arlaud in 1982 and invested in new vineyards and the estate has now been passed to his three children: Cyprien, Romain and Bertille. The domaine has eschewed herbicides since 1999 and transferred the vineyards to organic viticulture in 2004, certified three years later. Naturally (no pun intended) they started embracing biodynamics in 2009, including the use of horses in the vineyard to reduce soil compaction. The winery was constructed in 2003 in Morey-Saint-Denis, on the “other side” of the RN74 away from the village, a less picturesque part of the appellation for sure, but with much more space to work in. The fruit is de-stemmed although Cyprien does play with whole cluster fruit subject to the growing season. Natural yeasts are used during alcoholic fermentation and oak tends to be 15-20% for village crus up to 40-80% for grand crus. When I visited the winery, it was after a long day tasting, but even so my senses lit up when I sipped the first sample. Here are wines made in a very pure and natural style, each evocative of their respective terroirs. Each wine was imbued with superb freshness and delineation; occasionally evoking images of the sea, at other times flowers. Cyprien explained how they wait for the optimal moment to harvest their vines, which can differ by days between different crus within the same appellation (see note for “Les Ruchots”.) Importer: North Berkeley Wine www.northberkeleyimports.com and also Raeburn Fine Wines (UK)

A fascinating and alluring nose to Arlaud’s 2008 Morey-St.-Denis Les Millandes calls forth machine oil, dark cherry, purple plum, caramel, and vanilla. Hints of soy and of deep, clean red meatiness as well as inner-mouth heliotrope and buddleia perfume add enthralling intrigue to a Morey that seems as Chambolle-like as a couple of this year’s Arlaud Chambolles seemed Morey-like. The bittersweet, saliva-inducing finish preserves the wine’s balance of polish and invigoration. I can’t recall a better Les Millandes from this cellar, and it ought to be worth following for ten or a dozen years. Cyprien Arlaud’s 2008s built on the success of his 2005s and 2006s, leading me to regret that I could not find time to taste his 2007s. (For more about recent changes at this estate, consult my report in issue 186.) Between measures taken to avoid and eliminate botrytis and the dehydrating effect of the north wine, explained Arlaud, he sacrificed one-third the volume of what he considers a normal crop. Arlaud showed me the chart on which he had recorded the picking dates for his parcels, and it represented, he assured me, a crazy-quilt unprecedented in his estate’s history. More than a week, for example, separated the harvest dates of his Morey premier crus Les Chezeaux and Les Ruchots; and some appellations were picked in as many as three tranches. But by careful strategizing and relatively late commencement of his entire harvest, Arlaud was able to remain true to his intention not to chaptalize by much more than half a degree. In the event, he ended up with 2008s in the upper 12s and low 13s in percent alcohol. Cuvaisons lasted up to thirty days, in part thanks to a slow, cold pre-fermentative start, but Arlaud limited pigeage to 3-5 total performances. Malos – with the exception of a Sentiers that charged ahead – were finished by high summer of 2009. (Arlaud is among those who ascribe 2008s problematic malos at least in part to growers having taken the advice of their oenologist and been liberal with sulfuring their grapes and musts.) Arlaud utilized a small proportion of whole clusters and stems on this year’s grand crus, but noted “this was not an ideal vintage for commencing to utilize a significant proportion of stems.” A Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93