2019 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay Clos des Chenes 1er Cru
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Tasting notes
The 2019 Volnay Clos des Chênes 1er Cru is armed with darker fruit on the nose and a little confit -like in style, showing subtle hints of sloes and iodine. The palate is medium-bodied, with fine tannins that frame refreshingly pure red and black fruit, well-judged acidity, good cohesion and a dab of allspice and clove on the finish. It takes time to get going and is not as immediate as its peers, but there is promise here. Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The 2019 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes is a magical bottle in the making, wafting from the glass with a deep and complex bouquet of plums, cassis and warm spices, complemented by subtle hints of raw cocoa, peonies and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, layered and complete, it's elegantly powerful, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a long, perfumed finish. Finer-boned than the 2018 or the 2015 rendition before it, this is an exquisite wine from the Lafarge family.
The 2019 Volnay Clos des Chênes 1er Cru has a pretty and exceptionally pure bouquet with red cherries, kirsch, cranberry and crushed limestone aromas that soar from the glass. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, a little chewiness towards the finish, dense with a grippy, broody finish. This will require time - a Volnay with a bit of "grunt".
Almost 1 ha (the lieu-dit is 16 ha in total). Red and much shallower soils above the calcareous base. Cask sample. A bit closed on the nose. But great energy on the palate. Very tight and not quite tough but it’s definitely telling me to leave it alone. ‘Twill be a superstar but not yet. (JR)