2017 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay Clos des Chenes 1er Cru

The 2017 Volnay Clos des Chênes 1er Cru has a lighter bouquet than the Clos des Chênes from François Buffer, offering cranberry, wild strawberry and a touch of sous-bois and ash, not quite as precise as the best examples. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fresh acidity and a slightly chalky texture toward the finish, which attenuates slightly. This is another wine from Lafarge that I feel has closed up, making it difficult to score. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.

The 2017 Volnay Clos des Chênes 1er Cru has a deep, broody, almost surly bouquet that gradually unfolds in the glass to reveal blackberry, raspberry and briary aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with firm and grippy tannin on the entry. This feels saline in the mouth, very focused and almost symmetrical in style, building towards a smooth and very harmonious, yet grippy finish that lingers in the mouth. Outstanding.

The 2017 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes is the most complex and concentrated wine in the Lafarge cellar, wafting from the glass with notes of sweet plums, spices, candied peel, espresso roast and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with a layered mid-palate framed by an abundance of chalky structuring tannins, concluding with a long, chalky finish. The Lafarge parcel is located at the northeastern extreme of Clos des Chênes where it's more sheltered from the wind than much of the vineyard, which may partially explain why it always seems to stand apart from other domaines' renditions.