2006 Volnay Fremiets

The d'Angerville 2006 Volnay Fremiet (for which the spelling used on the label was inadvertently not followed in my issue 171 report) offers a brighter personality – and at the same time, more structure – than does their blended premier cru. Black cherry, cassis, and blood orange in the nose lead to a lusciously juicy yet at the same time firmly tannic and palpable extract-rich palate, on which fruit pit and wet stone note provide contrast. This long-finishing Volnay should gain interest with a few years in the bottle and could well – given the track record here – be fine a decade from now, but at the same time, I don't think harm will be done by enjoying it nearer-term, as I doubt that the fruit will go into remission. Like his illustrious father, Guillaume d’Angerville and estate director (and brother-in-law) Renaud de Villette have beaten the odds with their gentle art of winemaking (inter alia short maceration, no pigeage, promotion of late malo, low levels of new wood) in far more difficult vintages than 2006, so the generally high quality of their recent collection comes as no surprise. They waited until late September, and then brought in their entire crop in only five days. I have not had chance to taste the d'Angerville generic and village wines, nor their Champans it was bottled. Incidentally, this estate continues to routinely give its wines a course plaque filtration. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400