2006 Volnay Village

Dominique Lafon describes the 2007s and 2006s as very different in style. "The 2006s are leaner, higher in acid and more elegant," he explained, "while the 2007s are rounder and softer, with considerably higher pHs." The 2006s were racked only for the bottling, but Lafon carried out a gentle racking of the 2007s prior to the 2008 harvest to eliminate aromas of reduction that emerged during the late malos in the summer. The wines also had high levels of CO2 due to the substantial malic acidity in the grapes at the outset, but Lafon kept a good bit of the gas after the racking in order to protect the wines. (Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; a Daniel Johnnes Selection, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY)

Dominique Lafon picked his chardonnay early, then stopped for four days and started harvesting the pinot noir on September 25. He told me he got better ripeness but not more rot as a result of waiting, but admitted that there was "a bit of work to do" on the sorting table for the Auxey-Duresses. He did less pigeage for his Auxey-Duresses and Volnay villages as he was more concerned with getting fruit than structure. Not surprisingly, Lafon's 2005 Volnay Santenots is one of the most impressive Cote de Beaune reds of this very strong vintage. Lafon described it as the best red wine he's ever made, and it's hard to disagree with that assessment. (Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; a Daniel Johnnes Selection, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY)