An Evening With Several Arnoux Suchots

Some tastings are like trips to the racetrack. Favorites run to form. There are few surprises or upsets. That’s not always a great scenario for gamblers betting on longshots. But when it comes to thoroughbred Burgundy it’s perfectly fine for the chalk to come in. When the wines shine, the vintage and site come through as expected.

That’s how I felt after a recent midweek tasting organized to assess one of the premier premier crus in Burgundy – Vosne Suchots – and what many consider a top 3 interpreter of the site – Arnoux. This night we would drink the 01, 02, 08. I brought a 2010 Cathiard Suchots as a ringer/point of contrast.

The wines were opened simultaneously and allowed to develop and be sampled side by side over several hours. The wines were not tasted blind.

I don’t have a lot of experience with Arnoux. Before the tasting, my quick Rorschach impression would have been that these are rich, masculine wines that aren’t afraid of a healthy dollop of oak. I feared that they might be a bit too extracted and a touch rustic. Sort of a more pedigreed Dominque Laurent style … (That’s not a putdown, by the way.)

In short, all these wines performed very well. They reflected the terroir, vintage and producer uniformly. Suchots to me has an intriguing balance between floral/spice notes and meaty/gamey notes. It’s a bit of a hermaphrodite in Vosne, adeptly balancing both masculine and feminine qualities. I liked the wines more than I thought would.

This was a casual dinner, so I didn’t take formal notes. But here are a few of my impressions.

01 Arnoux Suchots: The 01 was my favorite of the night. But I’m a complete 01 junkie, so take that with a grain of salt. It was delicate, transparent and fully resolved. Gorgeous nose and such a light but persistent finish. Light ruby color seen easily through the bottom of a Zalto. Sous bois in abundance. Oak fully absorbed. This isn’t going to get any better in my opinion and should be drunk now.

02 Arnoux Suchots: The nose on the 02 was remarkably similar to the 01 – spice and cherry liqueur. But it has a lot more hair than the 02 – like a Slavic oligarch! It’s darker fruited and has more stuffing and acid. Much more upside. Beautiful sinewy wine. I’d take the 01 tonight and the 02 in 10 years.

08 Arnoux Suchots: The 08 was distinctly more purple in appearance. The nose was very subdued. The palate is rich and full. The 08 acids clench on the backend. It’s simply not ready for showtime, but has great promise. A bit of a gawky adolescent now.

10 Cathiard Suchots: Transitioning from the Arnoux to the Cathiard was like switching from Tony Bennett to Bryan Ferry. This bottle was the favorite of some, given its slutty appeal. It’s just so sleek, plush and velvety. It’s very 2010 and moreish. It seems tuned for relative easy and early drinking – a bit like Liger-Belair 1er cru Vosnes. There’s great material, but it is slightly rich and oaky. But the acids and spice give it lift and drive. Hold for 10 years for ideal drinking.

We ended the evening with a 2003 d’Yquem. Another pleasure bomb, if not very complex for this fabled producer. More coconut/brulee than apricot. Medium bodied and long. Very good but not a gaga wine to me.

By coincidence I had the 2001 Arnoux Suchots last night and the experience was very similar. It didn’t get a decant, so showed marked improvement over the course of the night. The aromatics were very intense, lots of violets, red fruit, and hints of classic spice. Good intensity on the medium body palate, with medium+ length. As the night wore on the fruit emerged more strongly in the palate, but so did acid and tannins. Excellent with beef bourguignon but the structure points to a long and charming life so I don’t think there’s any hurry for this. Lovely classic red burg.

Had an 08 Arnoux Suchot a few months back, and while I liked it quite a bit, I thought the 08 Hudelot Noellat Suchot was much better. The Arnoux is a much broader and fuller wine right now, though I hope it sheds some baby fat in the next ten years. It certainly doesn’t lack for fruit!
In fairness, I suspect my note would have been far more positive (and again, I liked it) had it not been paired with the Hudelot Noellat, which I thought was just spectacular.

Had the 2001 Arnoux Suchots last night with friends and it was in the zone after 2 - 3 hours of being opened. Has classic 01 zippiness but the trademark Vosne spice was also there in spades.

Thanks for the notes Matt.

I’ve looked at my bottle of 08’ recently but feel it needs 10-15+ years. Could be said for a lot of 08’s I’d imagine.

Matt, as someone who has been listening to Bryan Ferry since 1973, I enjoyed your comparison.