2012 - Volnay 1er Cru Clos du Chateau des Ducs, Michel Lafarge

The 2012 Volnay Clos du Chateau des Ducs impresses for its pure texture. Silky, generous and enveloping, the 2012 flows with the essence of black cherries, plums, savory herbs and wild flowers, all finely-knit and impeccably balanced. This is one of the more polished wines in the range. Today, it is absolutely singing.

The 2012 Volnay 1er Cru Clos du Chateau des Ducs is the 0.57-hectare monopole of Lafarge from an average of 80-year-old vines. Despite coaxing it remains stubbornly reticent on the nose, coquettishly revealing sea cave scents, perhaps a suggestion of what is to come with bottle age. The palate is more expressive with silky tannins, very pure red berry fruit, fine mineralite and a sophisticated, focused finish that lingers in the mouth. This has a wonderful weightless quality to it. Very classy. I visited Domaine Michel Lafarge, tucked away in the nooks and crannies of Volnay village, where winemaker Frédéric Lafarge, Michel’s son who has worked at the domaine since 1978, escorted me through his cramped 13th-century arched cellars that are covered head to toe in thick black mold. You could imagine a witches’ coven in a dark corner. Instead, the only thing being conjured up here is magical wine. In any case, space is not so much of an issue these days since Frédéric told me that he lost 80% of the biodynamically cultivated crop in 2012 that affected all his parcels. Nevertheless, the show must go on and Frédéric seemed sanguine about the travails. Ever a thoughtful, softly spoken gentleman, I can imagine that he would take it in his stride, with recourse to his father if necessary. He commenced picking on September 20, but in earnest from September 24. The fruit is destemmed and undergoes natural ferment with prudent pigéage. These were generally light and tensile, predominantly Volnay wines surfeit with minerality and poise, the prudent use of oak (around 15% maximum) allowing the individual terroirs to be expressed articulately. They will provide pleasurable early drinking, yet Lafarge’s wines tend to be deceptively long lived if you can manage to track them down. Importer: A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808; Veritas Imports, Beverly Hills, CA; tel. (310) 205-3803

Old calcaire soils and quite brown. Deep gravel on top of calcaire.Edge of vegetation and real life here – great sweetness and energy. Drive and thrive! Lift and subtlety on top of ripe fruit. (JR)