The 2016 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers was touched by the frost, Cyprien said, losing more than half the crop. There was a touch of reduction on the nose that made it difficult to read the fruit during my visit. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, quite bold tannin and a fine thread of acidity. It just loses a little detail toward the finish that has decent weight, if not the finesse of Cyprien’s premier crus in Morey-Saint-Denis.

The 2015 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers was showing some reduction on the nose, a mixture of red and black fruit, but broody and introspective for the time being. The palate is medium-bodied with a chewy texture on the entry. This feels bold and assertive, though there is impressive depth. The only caveat is that I would like to see more terroir expression develop on the finish, but otherwise, a good show.

The 2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru les Sentiers has an intriguing aloofness and austerity on the nose at first. You soon realize that it is toying with you, opening up with engaging black rustic fruit and woodland scents that draw you in. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, firm structure, quite masculine and Morey-like in style (no surprise as the vineyard has propinquity with Morey-Saint-Denis) with very fine salinity on the finish. This deserves two or three years in bottle.

The 2012 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers has a more outgoing bouquet compared to the Noirots with bright red brambly fruit and more mineralite surfacing with aeration. The palate is crisp and steely on the entry, with a citric thread of acidity and a buttoned down finish that is very tight but focused. This is saving itself for after bottling but it has great potential. 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)