2015 Volnay Village

Although there’s nothing extreme about the extraction here (a cold soak at a moderate 12 degrees C. lasting three or four days, zero pigeages and two quick remontages per day), the estate’s 2015s show nearly Syrah-like color, not to mention outstanding density and silkiness. Crop levels in 2015 were not much higher than those of 2014—“in the mid to high 20s,” according to Guillaume d’Angerville, owing to the drought and to the lingering effects of three years of hailstorms. “The dark colors are only evidence of the sun and drought in 2015,” he noted. “And the sun hasn’t impacted the wines in a negative way.” The estate started harvesting on September 4, bringing in its fruit with potential alcohol between 13% and 13.5%, which d’Angerville described as “high in historical terms but standard for recent years.”

The malolactic fermentations were “all over the place,” according to d’Angerville, with the earliest cuvées finishing in May and a couple just winding down at the time of my November visit. The bottling will be at the estate’s regular time: in March and April of 2017. “Most people want to compare 2015 with 2009 or 2005 but that would be a mistake,” said d’Angerville. “The 2015s show a rare combination of density and refinement; in comparison, the 2005s were more exuberant at a similar stage of their development.” The post-malo pHs in 2015 are closer to 3.4 than to 3.5, according to d'Angerville, "or close to the level of the 2010s." Indeed, the best 2015 Volnays at this address are among the rare Côte de Beaune examples that are at the same exalted level of quality as the top wines of the Côte de Nuits.