2017 Volnay Village

Driving into the front courtyard at the domaine, I almost drive into workers busy erecting a large awning. Guillaume d’Angerville’s daughter is due to be married the following weekend and the winery is hosting the reception dinner, which begs the question, what wine do you serve with the canapés?

I tasted the 2017s with Guillaume and cellar-master François Duvivier in the cellars. “It is the first vintage since 2009 with decent volume,” d’Angerville informed me with relief in his voice. “There was no mildew pressure after a good flowering and the season was fine. We just waited for some rain at the end of August. When there was some rain on August 27 and 28, it gave us the phenolic ripeness without the dilution. We started the picking on September 3 and finished five days later in Clos des Ducs as usual, the yields around 35 to 40hl/ha.” D’Angerville also told me he is reflecting upon the percentage of new oak and whether to reduce it in the future, concerned that it can obscure terroir. Personally, I find it optimal with respect to their wines, including these 2017s, a strong set from a trouble-free growing season. Here, I always find an irresistible interplay between the sumptuousness of Volnay and the nobility of d’Angerville. D’Angerville cited the 2007 as a comparable vintage in terms of its approachable nature, though personally I find that the wines have more stuffing. The most promising wine is predictably the magnificent Clos des Ducs and also Les Champans, from a vineyard that appears to perform well this vintage.

Oh, and to answer the question, I believe guests were given a glass of Clos des Ducs at the reception.