There are turning points in every great region: moments where tradition meets vision, and something extraordinary happens.
In Burgundy, Charles Lachaux is one of them.
Since taking the reins of his family domaine in 2012, Charles has transformed Arnoux-Lachaux into one of the most closely followed estates in the Côte d’Or. The wines are remarkable not simply for their rarity, but for their perfume, precision, energy and extraordinary sense of place.
His methods can appear radical, but the philosophy behind them is remarkably simple: build healthier vineyards, intervene less, and remove anything that stands between the fruit and the place it came from.
Vosne-Romanée 'Les Hautes Maizières'
A refined Vosne-Romanée from a small parcel below Suchots and Échezeaux, showing red cherry, wild strawberry, fine spice and a subtle earthy edge. The…
View Wine → Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru 'Les Grands Suchots' 'Ex-Cellar 2025'
Les Grands Suchots 2018 comes from the domaine’s upper section of the Suchots vineyard, where the land avoids the usual dip. It is a…
View Wine → Nuits-St-Georges 'Les Poisets'
Les Poisets sits right alongside the revered Les Saint-Georges, yet has long been overlooked amongst the breadth of Arnoux-Lachaux’s holdings. Not in 2022. Vivid,…
View Wine →The Wines of the Domaine
From village Vosne-Romanée to some of the greatest Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte de Nuits, Arnoux-Lachaux farms an extraordinary collection of sites.
Across the range, the signature is unmistakable: soaring perfume, vivid fruit, fine structure and a remarkable sense of energy.
- Bourgogne Pinot Fin
- Nuits-St-Georges ‘Les Poisets’
- Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru ‘Clos des Corvées Pagets’
- Chambolle-Musigny ‘Clos des Danguerrins’
- Vosne-Romanée
- Vosne-Romanée ‘Les Hautes Maizières’
- Clos-de-Vougeot ‘Quartier de Marei Haut’ Grand Cru
- Echezeaux ‘Les Rouges’ Grand Cru
- Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru
- Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru ‘Les Grands Suchots’
- Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru ‘Aux Reignots’
- Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru
Charles Lachaux took over the family domaine in 2012 and has spent the years since rethinking almost every stage of how the estate farms and makes wine. The transformation begins in the vineyard. Pruning is severe, yields are naturally restricted and vines are trained dramatically higher than is typical in Burgundy. Rather than repeatedly trimming the canopy, shoots are allowed to climb to around 1.8 metres before being guided and arched.
Permanent ground cover is encouraged between the rows, helping protect the soil from heat, retain moisture and support biodiversity. The result is a vineyard designed to regulate itself more naturally, with stronger vines and fruit that arrives at the winery with balance already built in. The objective is not concentration for its own sake. Charles is searching for energy, clarity and the most precise possible expression of each vineyard.
That philosophy has made Arnoux-Lachaux one of the defining domaines of contemporary Burgundy.
The vineyards of Arnoux-Lachaux are immediately recognisable.
The vines are allowed to grow tall, trained to around 1.8 metres rather than being repeatedly trimmed. This greatly increases the canopy’s leaf area and allows the plant to spread its energy more evenly across the vine.
In warm, dry years such as 2022, that approach becomes particularly important. Permanent grasses and natural vegetation protect the soil from excessive heat, preserve moisture and create a living buffer against water stress.
Rather than forcing the vineyard into balance, Charles’s approach is designed to let the vine regulate itself.
That work has a direct effect on the fruit. Smaller berries, thicker skins, naturally preserved acidity and a long, even ripening cycle give Charles the raw material he wants before the grapes ever enter the cellar.
Everything that follows begins here.
Once the fruit reaches the cellar, the emphasis remains firmly on restraint.
Fermentations use whole bunches and extraction is deliberately gentle, with no punching down. Macerations remain relatively short, preserving perfume, freshness and the remarkably fine structure that has become one of the signatures of the domaine.
The most important recent evolution, however, has been Charles’s move away from oak.
The 2021 vintage marked the final stage of that transition. From 2022 onwards, the wines are raised entirely in ceramic using the Clayver system.
For Charles, ceramic is not innovation for its own sake. Its value lies in neutrality. The wines can evolve slowly without taking on the flavour, tannin or aromatic imprint of wood.
The 2022s spent an extended 36 months in ceramic before bottling, allowing the wines to settle naturally and develop extraordinary clarity.
With the oak veil removed, the individuality of each vineyard becomes even more striking.
The 2022 vintage feels like a turning point for Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux.
A warm, dry growing season delivered healthy fruit and natural ripeness, with harvest beginning unusually early on 24 August.
Yet despite the heat, the domaine’s vineyards remained remarkably balanced. Permanent ground cover helped protect moisture in the soils, while Charles’s tall vine training reduced stress and allowed the vines to continue ripening evenly throughout the season.
Acidity remained beautifully preserved and yields returned to the domaine’s expected levels.
It was also the first vintage in which Charles’s current vision could be expressed in its entirety: every wine raised exclusively in ceramic for 36 months.
The result is a collection of wines with extraordinary aromatic purity. Perfume rises immediately from the glass, textures are refined and each vineyard seems to speak with remarkable clarity.
For us, the 2022 vintage represents one of the most important chapters yet in the evolution of Arnoux-Lachaux.
Why we’re excited
Few domaines have changed the conversation around modern Burgundy quite like Arnoux-Lachaux.
The methods attract attention, from the extraordinary vine training to whole-bunch fermentation and the complete move away from oak, but tasting the wines makes the thinking behind them immediately clear.
What stands out most is the perfume. Rose, violet, fresh red fruit, spice and an extraordinary purity that seems to become more pronounced as you move through the range.
Then there is the texture. Concentration without heaviness, power without excess and tannins that can feel almost impossibly fine.
The 2022 vintage feels especially significant. With every wine raised entirely in ceramic for the first time, the differences between the vineyards seem clearer than ever.
We work directly with Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux and are one of just two UK importers of the wines. Our allocations are offered to clients who want to drink, cellar and experience them rather than trade them.
For us, these are some of the most exciting wines being made in Burgundy today.
Discover the Wines
Chambolle-Musigny 'Clos des Danguerrins'
Only the second vintage in which Clos des Danguerrins has been bottled separately from the main Chambolle-Musigny cuvée. High-density, terraced and sitting just a…
View Wine → Clos-de-Vougeot 'Quartier de Marei Haut' Grand Cru
A poised and refined Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru from Arnoux-Lachaux’s upper “Quartier de Marei Haut” parcel, showing lifted red fruit, savoury depth, fine…
View Wine → Clos-de-Vougeot 'Quartier de Marei Haut' Grand Cru
Arnoux-Lachaux’s holding lies in Quartier des Marei Haut, just below the château and high on the slope, where the vineyard takes on a very…
View Wine → Echezeaux 'Les Rouges' Grand Cru
A refined Echézeaux Grand Cru from Les Rouges du Bas, showing red berries, cherry, fine spice, floral lift and an iron-tinged mineral frame. The…
View Wine → Echezeaux 'Les Rouges' Grand Cru
Drawn from three distinct parcels within Échézeaux, this is a wine built on contrast: shallow limestone, deeper clay, finesse, breadth and mineral drive all…
View Wine → Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru
One of the rarest cuvées in the Arnoux-Lachaux cellar, produced in minute quantities each year. Charles’ holding sits right on the border with the…
View Wine → Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru 'Clos des Corvées Pagets'
A serious and refined Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru, showing red and dark berry fruit, fine spice, earthy depth and firm mineral structure. The 2021 vintage…
View Wine → Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru 'Clos des Corvées Pagets'
This was the tenth wine of the tasting, and my note at the time says everything: “I’m running out of superlatives for how these…
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