2016 Volnay Champans

Champans is regarded as 'quintessential Volnay' by Guillaume d'Angerville and 'a perfect introduction to Volnay'. Deep crimson still. Very pure and flattering. Long, vibrant and utterly seductive with a silky texture. Lovely wine. (JR)

In contrast to the precocious 2017, the 2016 Volnay 1er Cru Les Champans is tight-knit and reserved and will demand patience. Offering up aromas of plums, cherries, violets, dark chocolate and forest floor, the wine is, medium to full-bodied, chewy and firm, with lovely depth at the core but an imposing, muscular chassis of fine-grained tannin that asserts itself on the finish. I have no concerns about the balance of this Champans, but readers should plan on waiting at least a dozen years before pulling corks.

(the entire bottom of this vineyard was fried by frost, according to régisseur François Duvivier): Bright, dark red-ruby. Medicinal blueberry and licorice aromas are lifted by a minty high note; less showy and more restrained on the nose than the Taillepieds and Caillerets today. Then wonderfully dense, primary and pure on the palate, but more vertical and less opulent than the Taillepieds and Caillerets. Strong mineral energy accentuates the impression of vibrancy. A bit less open to inspection today owing to its firm tannic spine.