1995 Volnay Caillerets Clos des 60 Ouvrees

The dark-ruby colored Volnay Clos Des 60 Ouvrees (from an enclosed parcel within the Caillerets vineyard) offers magnificent aromas of sweet and spicy (reminiscent of thyme, sage and tarragon) blackberries and raspberries. Its fabulously fleshy texture and superbly elegant medium-to-full body is filled with generous amounts of red fruits. In the wine's admirably long finish there are round and supple tannins. This outstanding wine will age gracefully, with its peak of maturity between 2000-2008. Gerard Potel has produced some of the purest and most elegant Volnay's I have tasted. His '85 Clos De La Bousse D'Or is graceful, sweet, silky, and simply magnificent today. It is one of the few '85s that is putting on body as it evolves. Potel, historically an interventionist winemaker, lectured me on his belief that fining and filtering do no damage to a wine's quality. Yet he also informed me that he was not subjecting his wines to either procedure in 1995 because they were so clear and healthy. As always, ratings with a score in parentheses indicate the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel (212) 355-0700.