2020 Bourgogne Rouge

This Volnay producer is now under the control of Étienne Chaix, who is continuing the fine work of his uncle, Jean-Pierre Charlot. Charlot is still present at my tastings, but he wanted to emphasize that his nephew is calling the shots. “It is a classic vintage,” he told me. “We started picking on August 22, a day earlier than in 2003, at around 30hl/ha. The volume of bunches reduced during the second heat wave and concentrated the fruit. It was a surprise to have the freshness, as we were expecting wines more like the 2003s. Everything is de-stemmed as usual.” This was a typical set of well-crafted Volnay and Pommard wines that are balanced, pure and terroir-expressive. They’re not flashy show-stoppers, but they mature beautifully in bottle. If you don’t love ’em, you haven’t tasted ’em.