2021 Volnay Village

Paul Zinetti is on hand to show me through his 2021s that were (again) impacted by the frost, though he has a different outlook from others. “We had frost in April after the mild winter that made the vines awake in February. We put some candles in Les Fremiets but not in Clos des Epeneaux because it covers over five hectares. I thought it was not necessary. Perhaps that was an error? But we were not prepared to put out more than 2,000 candles. Afterwards, the spring was bad with a lot of rain, and we fought against mildew. We were winning until the end of July. From then until the end of August, there was more rain, and so the mildew was on the bunches as well as the leaves. Perhaps we reached the limit of organic viticulture, and I told the owners that there was a possibility we could lose everything. It was similar to 2016. The harvest was between 21 and 26 September. In the end, we cropped at 15hl/ha in Clos des Epeneaux, more than 60% of a normal crop, whilst in Volnay, I lost two-thirds of the crop. Then there is the problem with degenerated vines with rootstock 161-49, though less in Pommard than in Volnay. I did a cold maceration for five days at 12-13° Celsius to extract colour, and the wines will be bottled in early 2023. The barrel maturation is going to be very important, the new barrels adding volume to the wine, but there is no whole bunch this year. The result is the smallest vintage of the century.” Naturally, the growing season impacts quality, and the Pommard Clos des Epeneaux doesn’t possess the concentration of recent vintages, though it is attractive in its own way. In recent years, my appreciation of their Volnay Les Fremiets has grown, and the Volnay Village steps up to the mark.