2009 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol Nicolas Volnay Chevret 1er Cru

The 2009 Volnay Chevret is a beautifully focused, articulate wine. It reveals lovely inner tension and minerality as the fruit works its way through to the finish. The intensity of the dark fruit is quite attractive, while the wine’s energy invites a second taste. The vineyards here are 45 and 68 years old. Rossignol used 50% whole bunches on the Chevret. Tasted from tank. Anticipated maturity: 2017 -2027. Nicolas Rossignol began picking on September 10th and brought in very ripe fruit, with natural alcohols in the 13.5% range. Rossignol used a higher percentage of stems than normal to give the wines a measure of freshness. The wines saw 20-24 days of cuvaison (with no cold soak) with one punchdown per day. New oak ranged from 15% for the villages to 33-50% for the 1ers. The wines were not racked during their time in barrel. Rossignol has an energy and passion that will take him far. His 2009s are a bit all over the place stylistically, though, and it appears that a distinct house style has yet to emerge. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Toepfer Imports LLC, CO; tel. (303) 818-7640; Pas Mal Portfolio, NY; tel. (201) 569-4132