2015 Volnay Village

Frédéric Lafarge described the beginning of the 2015 growing season as “small” owing to vines that had been fatigued by the hail events of recent years. “But then the summer was ideal, with little rains at the right time and virtually no hydric stress,” he added. The Lafarges picked the equivalent of half a crop of healthy grapes between September 5 and 10, with potential alcohol levels between 12.8% and 13.1%; they did not chaptalize. The wines were still on their fine lees in December following racking in September and the bottling was slated for April.

Frédéric considers 2015 to be “a fabulous vintage: pure, precise wines with terroir that’s easy to taste, and built for long aging.” He told me that his father compares 2015 to 1929, noting that Michel was born in 1928. I was blown away by the Lafarge 2015s, which have the intensity, complexity and structure of top bottlings from the Côte de Nuits. The Volnay premier crus in particular boast wonderfully tangy red-fruit aromatics for the vintage.