2021 Volnay Clos de Verseuil 1er Cru

Thibaud Clerget has established himself as one of Pommard’s leading winemakers in recent years with new vineyards added to his portfolio from his joint acquisition of Domaine Regis Changarnier, which was split with winemaker Arnaud Baillot, incidentally married to the sister of Charles Van Canneyt of Hudelot-Noëllat, notwithstanding a new standalone two-story building that will house a cuverie and tasting room, as well as rooftop decking for that all-important barbecue. “It was not an easy vintage with frost on 6-8 April when I lost around 70% of volume. It’s the vintage of the winemaker, one for those that work a lot in the vineyard and the winery. The job is 80% in the vineyard, and I finished working in the vines on 10 August when others stopped in July. I also discarded 10% of the berries at the sorting table and started picking on the 22 September. It’s a very elegant vintage compared to 2018 – it’s a shame about the quantity. I did no punch-downs, just a light infusion. Some small cuvées, one or two barrels, I bottled directly from barrel whilst others will be racked and blended into tank.” Clerget kicks the ball out of the park in 2021; perhaps my favourite of all the growers I tasted in Volnay, his wines exhibit bewitching purity and Pinoté when others tried to over-compensate for the shortfalls of the season. They come across as wines you just can’t wait to buy and drink. Shame about the volumes though. His Volnay Mitans was blended into the Volnay Village save for a diddy feuillette, about 150 bottles, reserved for personal use.