2018 Bourgogne Rouge

Long-term readers know that I am a long-term fan of this Volnay producer. It was the first time I was not greeted by the ursine figure of Jean-Pierre Charlot, instead by his nephew Etienne Chaix. Charlot is taking a back seat role but came in to see me halfway through the tasting. As usual, I was presented with detailed information on the exact number of barrels from their diaspora of tiny holdings across 8 hectares of vineyard vis-à-vis previous vintages. In 2019 the picking began on 13 September compared to 30 August in 2018, though in 2020 that record was broken since they began in on 22 August. An indicator of the depleted yields is that production in 2019 was 119 barrels compared to 182 in 2018 and 191 in 2017. The style of winemaking has not altered. This is the bastion of what you might call “traditional” Burgundy that is all the rage nowadays. These are terroir-driven, site-specific wines that arguably entertain a bit of rusticity, can seem a little coarse in their youth, but age with unerring panache. The Volnay Caillerets is amongst the best you will find in 2019, not powerful but beguilingly intense, a wine that evokes its place of origin. Prices remain relatively reasonable and both 2018s in bottle and the forthcoming 2019s are recommended.

Located in the shadow of the church that lies in the center of Volnay village, Domaine Joseph Voillot has been the mainstay of what might be described as "traditional" winemaking practices for many years. Jean-Pierre Charlot is a winemaker whose acquaintance I have enjoyed long before I even began writing, respected by his peers as a "vrai vigneron". However, he has had it tough in recent years. Apart from his vines almost exclusively in Volnay and Pommard lying within the direct firing line of late spring frosts, he has endured his own bout of ill health. So it was good to see him back on form and now he has the assistance of his nephew Etienne Chaix, who guided me through the first half the tasting before his uncle made it back from a delivery. “I think these wines have good potential," Charlot explained. "In my opinion, the 2018s have more depth than the 2017s. We started the harvest on 30 August [the third time they have started this month after 2003 and 2011] and picked over six days until 5 September. There was a storm around 18 to 20 August that I think added flesh to the berries [what the French call "gonflanté", though I find the direct English translation "inflated" a bit pejorative.]" As usual, Charlot gave me an insightful list of production figures each cuvée that can be juxtaposed with previous figures of the last ten vintages. So for example, in 2018 the Domaine produced a total of 203 barrels compared to 210 in 2017. One cannot overstate the importance of these figures since depleted vintages between 2010 and 2016, when just 71 barrels were eked out from the fines, left Charlot questioning their chances of survival.