The 2009 Nuits St. Georges Clos des Forets Saint Georges comes across as dark, brooding and totally intense. Black cherries, tar, licorice, smoke and menthol are some of the many notes that are woven together in this rich, deep wine. There is a baritone register to the fruit that is absolutely gorgeous. The powerful, structured finish begs for considerable cellaring and suggests a long life of great drinking lies ahead. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034. I was blown away by Domaine de l’Arlot’s 2009s when I tasted them from bottle. Most of the wines came in at the high end or above my projected scores from barrel. I found a purity and frankness in these wines that was compelling. Various American importers, including: A Daniel Johnnes Selection imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY, tel. (516) 677 9300; Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, MA; tel. (781) 278-2000; Triage Wines Inc., Seattle, WA; tel. (503) 236-6262; Chambers & Chambers, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 642-5500; Ansonia Wines, Washington D.C.; tel. (202) 506-4215; USA Wine Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 941-7133

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 02/05/2011

The 2009 Nuits St. Georges Clos des Forets Saint Georges is a huge, brooding wine. Smoke, tar, incense and wild cherries are some of the nuances that emerge from this muscular, intense Burgundy. The fruit builds with notable drive towards the unstoppable finish. This will require considerable patience, but it is strikingly beautiful. Leriche used 95% whole clusters here. I tasted a blend from five different barrels, each consisting of fruit from vineyards of different ages. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034.

Domaine de L’Arlot has been an organic estate for ten years. In 2009 Olivier Leriche began harvesting on September 7 and ended around the 15th. The wines were vinified with a higher than normal percentage of whole clusters and spent 20-25 days on the skins. I tasted most of the 2009s from barrel. Leriche planned to bottle the wines with no fining or filtration. I also tasted a handful of 2008s. The 2008s were bottled between April and July 2010 (a bit on the late side because of the lengthy malos) with no fining or filtration.

Outstanding. This is riper still and the ripeness is sufficiently overt that it's right at the limit of being too much though the cassis and black raspberry-suffused nose is impressively complex. There is excellent richness to the full-bodied and strikingly intense flavors that possess excellent volume on the notably more structured finish that serves up hints of chocolate. Despite the elevated ripeness levels, I suspect that this will rein in some of its excesses with age though I doubt that it will ever mature into a style that I admire personally. Drink: 2021+
-Burghound.com, Issue 45. Tasted: Jan 10, 2012

Good bright, dark red. Raspberry liqueur, truffle and chocolate on the inviting nose. Smooth and creamy, with compelling sweetness to the concentrated raspberry and chocolate flavors. The wine's mineral and pepper notes and substantial tannins give it a good spine for aging.

Quite deep crimson. Smells rather cheesy. Not pure at all! Rustic tannins. Where is all that mellifluous fruit? (JR)