2023 Volnay Village

It was a family affair visiting Domaine Michel Lafarge. As usual, Frédéric Lafarge was accompanied by daughter, Clothilde, as well as his son, Max, who has entered the Domaine.

“We de-budded early in the season, over three weeks in May, leaving six buds per cane at the beginning of May. Therefore, we did not have to do a green harvest. There was no excess during the growing season, just a heatwave before harvest that began on September 7 with the Volnay Premier Crus. We have around 25 harvesters, and, due to the warm weather, we wanted a big group, so we were able to harvest all the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay in eight days. We did a big picking in the morning and then just one hour after lunch, with all the grapes picked after 11 a.m. kept in the fridge as we do not have thermoregulated concrete/wooden vats. The yields were 45 hl/ha to 47 hl/ha. There was no destemming by hand as the temperatures were too high – it would have taken too long. The wines will be bottled next spring.”

Though I feel that Lafarge’s 2022s are the better long-term bet, their 2023s have much to offer for their sheer class and drinkability. Plus, their Volnay Clos du Château des Ducs and Clos des Chênes are delicious, soulful wines, cuvées that have an unerring ability to mature over time.