2018 Volnay Mitans
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Volnay 1er Les Mitans comes from a tiny 0.39 hectare of vines planted in 1952 and 1976 and located on a south-facing slope. The soils here are more brown clay with some underlying limestone, and the wine is destemmed and brought up in 15% new French oak. It's another wine that needs air, continuing to show well over the multiple days I had the bottle open. Beautiful ripe black cherry and black raspberry fruits as well as darker, earthy herbs, camphor, and spicy wood all emerge from the glass, and it's medium-bodied, with a wonderfully pure, elegant style, nicely integrated acidity, and outstanding length. As with the other 2018s here, the purity and precision are spot on. Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following 10-15.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Volnay Les Mitans 1er Cru has an absolutely glorious bouquet of perfumed black cherries, blueberry, potpourri and light violet aromas that are understated and yet focused and delineated. The palate is medium-bodied with a precise opening, and very harmonious and sensual. Pure, mineral-driven red fruit defines the effortless finish. Stunning.
The 2018 Volnay 1er Cru Mitans is built for the long haul, unwinding in the glass with notes of cassis, dark chocolate, sweet soil tones and potpourri. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with an ample chassis of rich, powdery tannins and lively balancing acids.
‘The most elegant and distinguished of our wines and opens first of all the premiers crus. Very Volnay’, says Frédéric Lafarge. More brown limestone and lots of little stones. Barrel sample. Seductively sweet fruit on the nose and still a hint of stony minerality. More intense and spicy than the Pitures. Deep, chewy, less open, and the fruit hidden under the structure at the moment. (JH)