Robert Arnoux

History of Domaine Robert Arnoux

The history of Domaine Robert Arnoux begins in 1858, when Charles Arnoux married Renée Salbreux in Vosne-Romanée. The two winegrowing families brought their vineyards together, creating a new wine estate on one of the world’s most prestigious terroirs. Their son Robert Arnoux was born in 1931 and took over the estate at age 26 in 1957, following the death of his father, Charles. Despite difficult economic conditions, Robert Arnoux showed great boldness by beginning to sell wine in bottles in the early 1950s, gradually moving away from bulk sales to merchants.

With the support of his wife, Clotilde Truchetet, with whom he had three daughters, Robert Arnoux expanded the business by successively acquiring parcels in the finest climats of the Côte de Nuits. In 1987, Beaune native Pascal Lachaux married Florence Arnoux and joined his father-in-law to learn the trade. The family worked together until Robert Arnoux’s death in 1995, when Florence and Pascal took the reins of the estate. In 2007, the estate’s official name changed to Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, reflecting this new era. Since 2011, their son Charles Lachaux, representing the sixth generation, has brought a radically innovative energy, propelling the estate into the ranks of Burgundy’s most exciting producers and opening the doors of the world’s finest restaurants and cellars to its wines.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Domaine Robert Arnoux

The vineyards of Domaine Robert Arnoux (Arnoux-Lachaux) cover 14.5 hectares across 15 of the Côte de Nuits’ most prestigious appellations. In Vosne-Romanée, the estate’s historic heart, there are several village-level parcels (including Les Hautes Maizières), the Premiers Crus Les Suchots, Les Chaumes, and Aux Reignots, and the legendary Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru, just a few dozen yards downslope from the fabled Romanée-Conti. The estate also cultivates Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Échezeaux Grand Cru, and, since 2008, Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru. Its holdings also include parcels in Nuits-Saint-Georges (Premiers Crus Les Poisets and Les Procès), Chambolle-Musigny, and Gevrey-Chambertin, as well as regional appellations.

The soils, typical of the Côte de Nuits, are clay-limestone, with marl-limestone in the Premier and Grand Cru vineyards and nuances specific to each climat. The vines average more than 55 years of age, with some parcels reaching remarkable ages (Romanée-Saint-Vivant has been cultivated by the family since 1927–1928, alongside old vines in Latricières-Chambertin). Since Charles Lachaux’s arrival in 2011, the estate has profoundly changed its vineyard practices: regenerative agriculture, winter grazing with sheep, conversion to biodynamics, goblet pruning, high trellising, and a complete end to shoot trimming. The emblematic parcels (Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Aux Reignots, and the old vines of Latricières) are plowed by horse. Pinot Noir, the estate’s sole grape variety, thus expresses all its nobility and precision on these exceptional terroirs.

Winemaking at Domaine Robert Arnoux

In the cellar, the estate’s history spans several successive styles. Under Robert Arnoux, until 1995, winemaking followed Burgundian tradition: destemmed grapes, fermentation in vats, and conventional barrel aging. Under Pascal Lachaux, beginning in 1995, the approach grew more refined, seeking purity of fruit, more precise aging, and a faithful expression of each climat. This evolution laid the groundwork for the major leap in quality that began with Charles Lachaux’s arrival in 2011, when he fundamentally transformed the approach in the cellar.

Today, Charles Lachaux makes wines with a very high proportion of whole-cluster fruit (sometimes 100%, depending on the cuvée and vintage), long, gentle macerations, restrained use of new oak (significantly reduced from the previous era), and aging in traditional Burgundian barrels. Fermentation begins naturally with indigenous yeasts. The aim is to produce exceptionally transparent, easy-drinking Pinot Noirs in which each climat speaks clearly.

The wines of Domaine Robert Arnoux

Bourgogne Pinot Fin (sometimes labeled Bourgogne Rouge) is the estate’s entry-level wine. Bright, with a powdery texture, remarkable fruit vibrancy, fine tannins, and lovely volume on the palate, it is one of the finest of its kind, far surpassing the expectations of its appellation.

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits is a fresh, precise regional cuvée made from high-altitude parcels. A lively, bright Pinot Noir with pure fruit and a delicate mineral backbone, it offers a wonderful introduction to the house style.

Côte de Nuits-Villages is a historic estate cuvée made from parcels in villages eligible for this appellation. A characterful Pinot Noir with moderate structure and aromas of cherry and red fruit, offering an honest, faithful expression of Burgundian Pinot Noir.

Vosne-Romanée Village is one of the estate’s great classics. A Pinot Noir of exceptional pedigree, marked by incomparable elegance and aromas of black cherry, raspberry, and sweet spice, with a rich, silky, deep palate true to the village’s aristocratic character.

Vosne-Romanée Les Hautes Maizières is a village-level cuvée from a prized vineyard site. Highly floral, it has a slender texture and juicy tannins, with vivid, gently stewed fruit reminiscent of crushed strawberries, in a refined, delicate style.

Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes is a highly sought-after Premier Cru of the appellation. A silky, clear-cut Pinot Noir with generous earthy character and enveloping richness that coats the palate, it has excellent aging potential.

Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots is one of the estate’s emblematic Premiers Crus. This climat, shared with some of the greatest producers, yields small-berried grapes with thick skins each year, producing a Pinot Noir of great aromatic concentration, with a dense, silky palate and a long, complex finish.

Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots is a prestigious climat high on the slope, just above the legendary Romanée. A deep, distinguished Pinot Noir with exceptional aromatic complexity (humus, minerals, red fruit, spice) and rare harmony. It is one of the emblematic cuvées whose vineyard has been worked by horse since Charles Lachaux took over.

Chambolle-Musigny Village is an ethereal, refined Pinot Noir true to the appellation’s characteristic grace. A floral, fruity nose (rose, raspberry, violet), an elegant palate, silky tannins, and a beautifully fragrant finish.

Nuits-Saint-Georges Village is a structured, deep Pinot Noir and a noble expression of its appellation. A full-bodied wine with aromas of dark fruit, spice, and undergrowth, supported by the firm tannic backbone characteristic of Nuits.

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Poisets is one of the estate’s emblematic Premiers Crus. More robust in character, it combines a vigorous palate with caressing texture and firm yet well-integrated, harmonious tannins, finishing with the licorice note characteristic of this climat.

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Procès is a historic Premier Cru of the estate, located near Vosne-Romanée. A structured Pinot Noir of exceptional pedigree, with aromas of ripe dark fruit and spice, a refined tannic backbone, and excellent aging potential.

Gevrey-Chambertin is a village-level cuvée from parcels in the appellation considered the queen of Côte de Nuits reds. A powerful, deep Pinot Noir with complex aromas of dark fruit, leather, and spice, in the village’s great tradition.

Échezeaux Grand Cru is one of the estate’s Grands Crus, made from parcels in this prestigious climat adjoining Vosne-Romanée. A Pinot Noir with a dense, velvety texture, deep aromas of ripe red and dark fruit, truffle, and fine spices, and excellent aging potential.

Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is one of the estate’s major historic cuvées. From this legendary Grand Cru established by the monks of Cîteaux, the wine offers a deep color, a complex nose of black currant, raspberry, spice, wax, and leather, and a highly concentrated palate supported by refined tannins, in the great tradition of age-worthy Clos de Vougeot.

Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru is among the most recently acquired Grands Crus (0.53 ha in 2008). A Pinot Noir of great finesse, with refined aromas of red and dark fruit, flowers, and spice, a sharply defined mineral backbone, and the aristocratic elegance characteristic of this climat neighboring Chambertin.

Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru is the estate’s crown jewel. From a 0.34-hectare parcel cultivated by the Arnoux family since 1927–1928 and worked by horse, just a few yards downslope from Romanée-Conti, this legendary cuvée offers a plush carpet of tannins and pure, nuanced fruit of phenomenal intensity. A wine that needs time to reach its full potential, it is one of the Côte de Nuits’ most precious signatures, sought after by the world’s most discerning wine lovers.