2012 Volnay Village

This is a gorgeous set of 2012s from Michel and Chantal Lafarge. Tasting the wines from barrel at Lafarge usually involves a bit of back and forth between the several mold-covered cellars. Not in 2012. Yields are down a heartbreaking 80%. Some wines weren't made at all, such as the Pommard Pezerolles, which went into the Bourgogne, and the Beaune Aigrots and Greves, which were bottled together as a straight 1er Cru. The wines themselves are gorgeous. What amazes me most is how, even with the tiny yields, the 2012s remain faithful to the house style, something that is not the case at all domaines in the Côte de Beaune. Readers who can find these gorgeous wines should not hesitate. Second chances aren't likely to come around with the 2012s.

As was the case at Domaine d'Angerville, my November visit here was bittersweet, as the Lafarges have virtually no wine to sell. The 2012 crop was the smallest ever recorded here, down 80% from a normal year, according to Michel Lafarge. Many wines were declassified due to insufficient quantities to vinify (the Pommard Pezerolles actually went into the Bourgogne Rouge). "We had hailstorms both from the north and from the south, so both sides of the plants were hit," said Frederic Lafarge. The Lafarges started harvesting on September 20 with their Volnay Mitans and Chateau des Ducs, but the Clos des Chenes wasn't ready to be picked yet. The tiny crop has "great potential and outstanding saline purity of terroir," Michel noted. "Tasting the wines today, we never could imagine the stress and violence of the growing season." Virtually the entire 2012 crop was aging in the family cellar's tiny inner sanctum. (A Becky Wasserman selection; importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., www.martinscottwines.com and Wines Unlimited, www.winesunlimited.com)