2022 Volnay Les Santenots 1er Cru

“It’s a generous vintage in terms of quantity,” Glantenay tells me in his kitchen, which looks down over Clos des Ducs. “There was over 100mm of rain at the end of June, which was enough for the roots to absorb, and fortunately, there was no mildew pressure afterward. I was surprised by the yields as there was little rain in August and little juice in the berries. We started to pick August 27 for the earliest ripening vineyards and finished around September 6. There was little sorting needed. The wines are concentrated, though not as much as in 2020, well balanced by the acidity. I did one or two pigeages at the beginning of fermentation and then adapted the maceration depending on the vat, with just a little remontage as the extraction came easily. The fermentation was much more straightforward than it was in 2023. The pH was 3.5 or 3.6, a little higher than normal, although I didn’t acidify at all. The maximum level of new oak is 30%. I was surprised by the quality of the vintage.”