Edition #003: Tasting 200 wines

Edition #003: Tasting 200 wines

Happy "almost" spring from your friends at Arlo!

We're happy to announce our bar, dining room and private dining areas are now open Tuesday nights!

France 2023

In February we traveled to France to visit some of our favorite producers, meet new ones, and taste the 2022 vintage. First stop was Champagne with visits with three unique natural wine producers.

First was Christophe Mignon is a small-scale grower who produces wines using traditional methods and minimal intervention. He uses high-quality Pinot Meunier grapes and produces elegant and complex Champagnes with a distinct minerality and acidity.

Next we hung out with Emmanuel Lassaigne who showcases the unique terroir of his vineyards in the Aube region of Champagne his Champagnes are characterized by their purity, minerality, and freshness.

The last stop was with Benoit Lahaye is a renowned grower who's Champagnes are made using a combination of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier grapes and are known for their balance, elegance, and long finish.

We took a quick stop in Burgundy to taste the incredible wines of Pierre Fennels of Maison en Belle Lies and visit the magical vineyards of Julien Guillot (Clos des Vignes du Maynes) in Mâcon!!!

The popularity of Julien Guillot's wines can be attributed to their unique and authentic expression of terroir, their commitment to sustainable farming practices, and their limited availability.

But... a number of cuvées from both of these producers are currently on offer at Arlo!!

From there we headed to the Beaujolais, a region near and dear to our hearts that is always extremely well represented on our list. 2022 although quite a challenging vintage we think will prove to be an absolutely fantastic one here!

A day of wonderful tastings with Karim Vionnet and Jean-Claude Lapalu in Brouilly was followed by 2 days with the incredible Jean-Louis and Ophile Dutraive in Fleurie. In addition to the full range of Jean-Louis' Domaine de la Grand Cour wines we are also very excited to be the only restaurant in Canada pouring Ophelie's delicious Moulin a Vent.

We wrapped the tour with a trip to the Loire Valley for the Legendary tastings "La Dive Boutille" in Saumur & La Grenier St-Jean in Angers. Here we tasted well over 200 wines from many of our long time favorite growers as well as some new discoveries that we will work on bringing to you asap!

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