2010 Volnay Caillerets

The 2010 Volnay Les Caillerets explodes on the palate with layers of mineral-infused dark red fruit, flowers, mint and crushed rocks. There is an exuberance and energy here that is remarkable. I love the wine’s focus and sheer verve. Frankly, it is very hard to spit the Caillerets. This is a great showing. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2030. The 2010 vintage was not especially kind to Louis Boillot. The December 2009 frost wiped out the vineyard Boillot used for his Bourgogne, so naturally that wine was not made. The Fixin yields were tiny (just one barrel) and that wine was blended into the Cote de Nuits Villages. Overall yields were down 40-50%, although some parcels were hit even harder. The Caillerets, Croix Noires and Cherbaudes were down 50% and the Pommard was down 60%. The harvest started on September 22 and lasted about a week. The wines were aged in 25-30% new oak. Malos were very slow and were not finished until September 2011, quite late even by standards of the year. On a much more positive note, the wines themselves are fabulous and deserve serious attention. Unfortunately, the 2010 Pommard Les Croix Noires and Chambolle-Musigny Beaux Bruns were too reduced to evaluate, so I will have to wait for another opportunity to taste those wines. I will report on the 2009s in the April issue. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990