2006 Volnay Taillepieds

Bouchard's 2006 Volnay Taillepieds reflects chalky site – as Philippe Prost readily admits – in a wine that can easily succumb to drying or brittle tannins. While I find its tannic firmness on this occasion no blemish, I wonder whether there is reason to hold the wine past 2-3 years in hope that it will become more generous. Tart black fruits, roasted meat, and chalk are the dominant themes in a rather somber, restrained performance. Director Philippe Prost emphasized the importance of flexible and surgical picking (with a crew numbering upwards of 300) and getting his crop to Bouchard's battery of presses within two hours via a fleet of mini-vans. He insists that relatively little triage was necessary on the domaine vineyards (as opposed to those under contract) and the estate wines are certainly predictably stronger as a group. (I have generally mentioned in the notes that follow which wines are from Bouchard's domaine and which from contract fruit, but have explicitly noted this as part of a wine's description, only if there are two versions of the same appellation within the present portfolio.) The fruit was crushed very gently and the wines racked only once – at 10-14 months, than usual – explains Prost, in order to guard against exposed or drying tannins, a policy which my tastings suggest was generally successful. Importer: Henriot, Inc, New York, NY; tel. (212) 605-6767