2010 Volnay Champans

The 2010 Volnay Champans presents an intricately woven latticework of dark red and black fruit, spices, licorice and menthol. The oak is very nicely integrated here. Rich, powerful and layered, the Champans boasts explosive energy all the way through to the large-scaled, dramatic finish. This is another Godzilla-size wine from Boillot, but it all works. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. Henri Boillot turned out a superb set of 2010 reds. Best of all, readers won’t have to shell out a fortune to enjoy them, as a number of the more modestly priced wines far exceed the quality of their respective appellations. Yields came in at 20-22 hectoliters per hectare, a 40% decrease over the more typical production of 35 hectoliters per hectare. Boillot began harvesting on September 29 and ended on October 7, among the latest, if not the latest, to finish picking. Fermentations lasted about 29 days on average. Boillot has augmented his holdings with 5 hectares of vineyards that came online in 2010. I tasted all of these wines at Boillot’s cellars in Volnay. Boillot told me he plans to have his new facility in the Champ Lins section of Meursault fully operational for both whites and reds by summer 2012. Importers: Massanois Imports, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 470-6769, Cynthia Hurley French Wines, West Newton, MA Tel 617-965-4251 www.cynthiahurley.com and Chelsea Ventures, LLC, 1601 South Canal St, Chicago, IL 60616 tel. 847-920-5052

(like the Chevrets, this is aging in 50% new oak): Deep ruby-red. Expressive aromas and flavors of black cherry, black raspberry, earth and leather, lifted by a minty note. Dense and sappy on the palate, showing more flesh today than the Chevrets. Chocolate and menthol notes add interest in the mouth. Nicely balanced, structured wine, finishing with substantial dusty tannins and firm acidity that makes its presence felt late and carries the fruit.