2020 Volnay Village

Frédéric Lafarge guided me through his complete set of 2020s, from both the Côte d’Or and Beaujolais, and his daughter Clothilde joined us later. “The vines had regular and early growth,” Lafarge told me, buzzing between barrels. “Maturity came quickly. There was no hydric stress. We started the harvest on August 20 and finished on August 28, then picked the Hautes-Côtes and finally the Aligoté. I think the vines have adapted, and so they are different from 2003.” Readers should note that in 2020, Lafarge made two Passetoutgrains, the as yet unnamed second cuvée a selection from 92-year-old vines, quite different and absolutely delicious. His raft of Volnays were sublime: pure, quite structured, fresh and articulating their respective terroirs; the Les Caillerets and Les Pitures, in particular, are both superb. I was also very taken with Lafarge’s Beaune Grèves this year.