2005 Volnay Les Taillepieds 1er Cru

Bright, dark red. Pure, high-pitched aromas of raspberry, cherry, flowers and spices. Wonderfully sweet and pure, with a much higher pitch and sharper definition than the Cailleret. The strong fruit flavors are enlivened by peppery spices, herbs, minerals and flowers. Very tightly wound wine, with the strength of flavor to outlast its firm tannins. But this one will require patience.

D’Angerville’s 2005 Volnay Taillepieds features a red and black currant melange that is juicy, bright and bracing throughout, accompanied by savory salinity, roasted meatiness, forest floor, and stony, chalky mineral dimensions. A Volnay with terrific delineation and refined tannins in its long, mouth-watering finish, this should be exciting to follow for at least 10-12 years, provided today’s quality is captured in the bottle. (The pungent, bright, tight ‘04, incidentally, is utterly fascinating, even if ultimately missing the depth and refinement of this 2005.) The late Jacques d’Angerville’s son Guillaume and long-time wine making collaborator and brother-in-law Renaud de Villette can boast a superb collection of 2005s, but an equally apt tribute to the legacy of the late Marquis are the odds-beating results they bottled from 2004, when to the universal difficulties of that vintage were added the ravages of hail it visited on Volnay. The 2005s fermented with pump-overs but no punch-downs and exhibit formidable underlying structure yet pure fruit and early, flattering textural development. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400

Good bright ruby-red. Ripe but reserved aromas of black cherry and chocolate. Rich and dense but sappy, with terrific lift and a strong underlying tannic structure. Boasts excellent balance and the constitution for extended aging. Vibrant but youthfully tight today.