1983 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay Clos des Ducs 1er Cru
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Tasting notes
Medium red with a brick tinge. Reticent nose shows more leafy tones than fresh fruits. Then surprisingly intense in the mouth, but more about herbs, dried leaves, balsamic nuances and tuberose than red fruits. The dusty dried-leaves tannins are typical of this vintage, in which periods of rainfall, heat and humidity in late summer and during the harvest triggered widespread rot. And yet this wine will be hard to kill owing to its firm acidity. In fact, my bottle actually gained in sweetness with air, while the '87 turned drier. "The '83s always needed a bit of air to freshen them," noted Guillaume d'Angerville. (Incidentally, when I first tasted the finished '83s widely, I had the feeling that a few Volnay-based producers--Angerville, Lafarge and Montille--had outperformed most of their colleagues on the Côte de Beaune.) (14.2% alcohol; October 2 harvest; 19 h/h; 3.52 pH)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
There are some great surprises among 1983s. Harvest 2 October, yield 19 hl/ha, pH 3.52. Fairly deep ruby. Smells clean enough. Fresh and lively with a real grip and life. Savoury. But not in any way rotten. Long and liquorice. A bit pinched initially but it opened out. (JR)
The 1983 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs was one of the unexpected pleasures of the Clos des Ducs vertical. From a difficult season, it has manifested an attractive bouquet with plenty of brambly dark fruit (red plum, strawberry preserve and a hint of licorices) without any sign of rot. The palate is well balanced with firm, quite "thick" tannins that lend it rusticity. But it feels supple and lithe in the mouth with a hint of mushroom on the autumnal finish suggesting that it should be drunk over the next few years. Otherwise, this is a great success in the context of the vintage.
About the producer
Marquis d'Angerville is synonymous with the village of Volnay, having long made some of the village’s finest wines. Best known for its Premier Cru monopole vineyard, Clos des Ducs, this estate crafts fine-boned, elegant styles of Pinot Noir – wines that act as standard-bearers for the appellation.