Each March Guillaume d’Angerville comes to London to do a press tasting of the recently release vintage, in this case 2013. Volnay as a village has had a rough time of it with minute yields in 2012, 2013 and also in the yet to be release 2014. When you combine this with the fact that 2010 and 2011 were not large it is not a happy story. What is good news though is that the wines produced in all those vintages, against the odds, show that this Domaine is as good, and very possibly better, than ever. Guillaume is very deferential to previous generations, of which he is the 6th, but I think it is fair to say the conversion to Bio-dynamics that started in 2006 and was fully up and running in 2009 has had a great effect. This tasting and the lunch that followed were both held at Quo Vadis yesterdayThe wines were tasted, as is usually the way in Burgundy, with the white last. None of the wines are bottled as yet. Up to the Taillepieds are in tank awaiting bottling soon, Champans, Clos des Ducs and Meursault are all still in barrel.
Volnay 2013
Quite dark fruit, leaning to black over red but with real precision and focus. A little dash of mellow white pepper. Lovely focused and red fruited palate, nice bit of grip but there is sweetness to balance.
Volnay 1er Cru 2013
Lovely nose of red fruit with a
little black, a little more full than I expected even a little more brooding.
The spice is less present but only because of the richness of fruit. Lovely,
more dense.
Pommard 1er Cru Combes Dessus
2013
Wonderfully different, airy but
intense, more sweetness on the nose, almost a herbal citrus note then there is
a darker fruit on the palate but again a sweetness. Not without some grip and
minerality. There is though a persistent citrus freshness on the finish, not
like any Pommard I have had. Very interesting to note that Guillaume commented
that Bio-dynamics have really made a significant difference here, more energy and focus
coming to the wine.
Volnay 1er Cru Clos des
Angles 2013
Really refined, red berry fruit,
really poised, incredibly focused but beautiful. Lovely volume of red fruit and
herbs with less spice, wonderful in the mouth, hard to spit, very Volnay, very
complete. A star.
Volnay 1er Cru Fremiet 2013
More concentrated and bolder
than the Angles, denser and somehow a little more shy, the palate too is a
little drier and bigger and may be a shade less overt. Bolder, bigger,
drier. This could be a sleeper.
Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets
2013
A little more leafy, more sinewy
but good for it, redder fruit. More and more comes out in glass, the fruit is
oranges as well as red currant, there is grip but elegance also.
Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds
2013
Really balanced and harder to
describe as a result, good grip once on the palate but great acidity and
energy, even nervousness which translates as drive, red berries but with a dash
of spice. Very d’Angerville.
Volnay 1er Cru Champans 2013
I am biased here as I have a
real soft spot for Champans, there is a roundness and completeness to this wine
on the nose (as there was with the 2009 over lunch), on the palate it is more
brooding and a little drier, the empty glass smells delicious which I always
rate as a good sign.
Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs
2013
Densely mineral with darker
fruits, black even, very very intense, this is weightier but the palate tells a
great tale, this is so Clos des Ducs, there is a dramatically long length,
stunning texture.
Meursault 1er Cu Santenots
2013
The nose reminds me of grand cru
Chablis and citrus but with a little generosity of Meursault in texture on the
palate, it is this lovely texture combined with the right amount of mineral
energy that drives this wine. I asked Guillaume about the refined nature of
this wine and he commented that it only sees 25% new oak here and that the new
oak barrels Guillaume now buys are bigger than standard
Lunch Wines
Meursault 1er Cu Santenots
2011
Very pale colour, a little
reduced, which I really like, some smokiness, then white fruits, not citrus,
this will become more nutty and complex, I really liked this right now though.
As we moved onto the 2009’s
Guillaume made a very interesting comment about elevage, saying how crucial it
is and in contrasting ways in different vintages, the 2008’s put on
“weight” whilst the 2009’s became more refined.
Volnay 1er Cru Champans 2009
Pure but seductively extrovert,
the fruit is red and open. There is lovely balance and just a shade of cool
stoney minerality that comes through. Just so drinkably delicious…if I had this
at home it wouldn’t last “5 minutes”.
Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets
2009
Markedly darker colour,
sweetness and richness are the watchwords here. I can see this ageing brilliantly as there is a sweet savouriness under the covers. Clearly a site to
watch closely as the vast majority of this site was replanted in 1999-2000 so
we are talking about young vines. Interestingly Guillaume has bought an parcel of older
vines recently.
2007 was the third most
precocious vintage the Domaine has ever know with picking on the 3rd
September. There is a focus to this wine and also a complexity – I loved
Guillaume’s summary that “it is not an arrogant wine…it is what it is”…it is
ready now but there is no rush.
Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs
2008
A tricky vintage that was not
picked until over three weeks later than 2007. This was initially taut and tight
in the glass but where the 2007 let you have it from the start this toys with
you and opened out in the glass, there is significant classicism here, an
academic wine that will age well, I feel.
Guillaume commented that he
could relax with the 1999 as it was not “his”, referring to the fact Guillaume
whilst involved was not solely responsible until the 2003 vintage. The 1999 is
a wine I have had recently (Clos des Ducs 1920-2002) and it is just starting
to hit its stride, still a little muted there is a very great wine here. Very vinous, complex, a salinity as well as a lovely herbal edge…if you own this
continue to be patient – you won’t regret it…
I am already looking forward to
next year…and whilst the 2014 is small again (though not on the scale of 2012
or 2013) I a praying that 2015 will bring a large and wonderful crop because
this Domaine is coiled ready to pounce on just such an opportunity…
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