Winemaker Notes
Made from two parcels in the Volnay Premier Cru appellation which total almost one hectare: Les Mitans (0.65 hectare) and Les Pitures (0.31 hectare), and depending on the vintage, sometimes young vines from Têtes de Cuvée plots such as Clos des Ducs, Champans or Taillepieds are included. Les Mitans (the plot is located in the climat previously called Ormeau), is located at the lower limit of the premier crus of Volnay, in fairly deep soil. The soil of Pitures, adjacent to Clos des Ducs, halfway up the slope, is marly limestone.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The deeply coloured village Volnay from d'Angerville is a delight in 2023. It's approachable and round, with bright plum and blackberry fruit aromas, a supple tannic structure and balanced acidity. The grapes are from parcels just below the band of premiers crus; they are destemmed and gently fermented before being aged in mostly used casks. One imagines that this will be ready to drink fairly early but also has the substance for mid-term ageing.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Volnay 1er Cru blends Pitures and Mitans to deliver a delicate, velvety red redolent of plums, cherries and sweet berries. Medium-bodied, suave and succulent, it will offer a broad drinking window.
Barrel Sample: 90-92
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
On the hillsides between Pommard and Meursault, Volnay is one of two villages in the Côte de Beaune of Burgundy that is recognized for its extraordinary Pinot Noir. Pommard is the other; the rest of the villages are most known for some of the most exceptional Chardonnay in the world. While Volnay Pinot Noir tends to be light in color and more delicate than that of Pommard, they typically stand on par with each other in regards to quality and demand.
Volnay can’t claim any Grands Crus vineyards but more than half of it has achieved Premier Cru status. Volnay Premiers Crus vineyards stretch across the entire village from northeast to southwest, abutting and actually falling “into” Meursault. Where they merge is a vineyard called Les Santenots. Pinot Noir grows in this Meursault Premier Cru but since that village is most associated with stellar whites, the Pinot Noir from Les Santenots, takes the name Volnay Santenots. Immediately above it are Volnay’s other prized Premier Cru, Le Cailleret, Champans, Clos des Chênes and Le Cailleret.
Volnay Pinot Noir are earthy with red or blue fruit. Aromas such as smoke, herbs, forest, cocoa and spice are common and on the palate they are gorgeous and concentrated with finesse but won’t truly charm you without some age.