2014 Volnay Clos de la Cave des Ducs

(not affected by hail; production here was 42 hectoliters per hectare; vinified with one-third whole clusters): Good deep red. Ripe, musky aromas of raspberry, smoke and flinty minerals. Rich, supple and sweet; distinctly fleshier and broader than the Mitans. Here the tannins are serious but much more fully buffered by the wine's ripe mid-palate fruit. Long on the aftertaste. An excellent showing.

The 2014 Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Caves des Ducs includes one-third whole cluster fruit and has a well defined, detailed bouquet that demonstrates a little more focus than the 2014 Volnay Mitans, perhaps less rustic in style. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, quite dense tannin. This is a masculine Volnay that feels pleasingly saline in the mouth, a touch austere and broody but with a long, spicy tail on the finish. Give it 3-4 years in bottle.