2010 Volnay Fremiets

The 2010 Volnay Les Fremiets is impressive for its sheer richness and concentration. Dark cherries, cola, mocha, licorice and tar literally explode from the glass in this full-bodied, opulent Burgundy. Even with its super-ripe, almost extreme expression of fruit, there is more than enough minerality to provide balance. The Fremiets is not for the faint of heart, but it is a beautiful wine in its own way.

The 2010 Volnay Les Fremiets is impressive for its sheer richness and concentration. Dark cherries, cola, mocha, licorice and tar literally explode from the glass in this full-bodied, opulent Burgundy. Even with its super-ripe, almost extreme expression of fruit, there is more than enough minerality to provide balance. The Fremiets is not for the faint of heart, but it is a beautiful wine in its own way. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030. Henri Boillot turned out a superb set of 2010 reds. Best of all, readers won’t have to shell out a fortune to enjoy them, as a number of the more modestly priced wines far exceed the quality of their respective appellations. Yields came in at 20-22 hectoliters per hectare, a 40% decrease over the more typical production of 35 hectoliters per hectare. Boillot began harvesting on September 29 and ended on October 7, among the latest, if not the latest, to finish picking. Fermentations lasted about 29 days on average. Boillot has augmented his holdings with 5 hectares of vineyards that came online in 2010. I tasted all of these wines at Boillot’s cellars in Volnay. Boillot told me he plans to have his new facility in the Champ Lins section of Meursault fully operational for both whites and reds by summer 2012. Importers: Massanois Imports, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 470-6769, Cynthia Hurley French Wines, West Newton, MA Tel 617-965-4251 www.cynthiahurley.com and Chelsea Ventures, LLC, 1601 South Canal St, Chicago, IL 60616 tel. 847-920-5052

Full red-ruby. Wild black raspberry, mocha, earth, leather and menthol on the nose, with a note of minerality emerging with air. Tightly wound and rather inexpressive today, but already showing excellent calcaire punch to its saline soil tones. The vibrant back end features serious tannins that saturate the mouth and reach the front teeth. Fremiets was the first vineyard Boillot harvested in 2010 and this wine will almost certainly need seven or eight years of bottle aging to deliver on its potential.