2008 Volnay Clos des Chenes

From tank, the Drouhin domaine 2008 Volnay Clos des Chenes offers site-typical ginger and cinnamon spice in spades, along with fresh, tart-edged cherry and plum fruit. There is a bit of a tannic bite that along with the tartness and alkaline, chalky minerality makes for a brash and bracing finish. This bids fair to settle down a bit in bottle without losing energy, and I suspect it will be worth following for at least 6-8 years. “2008 was very slow in doing its malolactic – which was good, and ended up with a pretty lively impression of acidity” remarked Veronique Boss-Drouhin, “and I think the wines will be slow to evolve in bottle, as well.” Numerous cuvees were still in tank or barrel when I visited in March, which constitutes an unusually late schedule at this address. The 2007s, by contrast, were bottled even earlier than normal, most at age 12 months. In 2008, a 15-25% share of stems and whole clusters was included in the fermenting vat for the Clos des Mouches and for most of the Drouhin grand crus, whereas in 2007 that degree of vendange entier was practically the rule across the entire Drouhin range (by no means all of which I tasted). Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770

Bright medium red. Cherry and chocolate aromas dominated by smoky, leesy reduction. Broader than the Clos des Mouches but less juicy and sweet, hinting at menthol and mocha. Plenty of soil character here but I wanted more fruit. Seems a bit more rustic in style.