Understanding the Producers of Volnay

MChang · February 12, 2019, 4:44pm

Agree completely on 07, great vintage.

According to CT, these are the largest represented producers of Volnay vineyards (2015 vintage, number represented is bottles in CT)

Domaine Marquis d’Angerville 19.9% Bottles (3,413)
Domaine Michel Lafarge 8.1% Bottles (1,386)
La Pousse d’Or 6.9% Bottles (1,190)
Bouchard Père et Fils 6.1% Bottles (1,041)
Domaine Jean-Marc / Thomas Bouley 4.3% Bottles (729)
Domaine Y. Clerget 4.2% Bottles (715)
Domaine de Montille 4.0% Bottles (683)
Domaine Henri Boillot 3.6% Bottles (611)
Benjamin Leroux 3.2% Bottles (550)
Domaine Joseph Voillot 2.9% Bottles (489)
Nicolas Rossignol 2.6% Bottles (454)
Réyane et Pascal Bouley 2.4% Bottles (414)

How would those who have tasted a lot of these differentiate among these producers? I.e. by style, quality, etc. or other utterly subjective criteria? Or maybe another way of thinking about it, if I was going to build a tasting to represent the variations of Volnay, what would I want to bring to the table?

If you really are planning a tasting make sure to include wines from 2007. I think the village did remarkably well in this supposedly “off” vintage. The wines are drinking well right now. The transparent, more “feminine” nature of the commune shows well in lighter, early drinking vintages like 07. I’ve had a real soft spot for 07 Angerville Taillepieds over the years.

Howard_Cooper · February 12, 2019, 6:25pm

I agree.

Howard_Cooper · February 12, 2019, 6:36pm

People buying wine from vintages prior to 2010 should be aware that there were two estates at that time called Louis Boillot. TN: Louis Boillot 2011 Volnay 1er Les Angles - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers From prior discussions on this topic with Nathan, I would assume that he is describing the Louis Boillot that is the husband of Barthod in Chambolle, not the one who was a small producer in Volnay. The second one is now owned by Champy, which I believe calls the wines from the old Boillot properties the Domaine de la Chapelle.

Matthew_King · February 12, 2019, 6:45pm

According to CT, these are the largest represented producers of Volnay vineyards (2015 vintage, number represented is bottles in CT)

Domaine Marquis d’Angerville 19.9% Bottles (3,413)
Domaine Michel Lafarge 8.1% Bottles (1,386)
La Pousse d’Or 6.9% Bottles (1,190)
Bouchard Père et Fils 6.1% Bottles (1,041)
Domaine Jean-Marc / Thomas Bouley 4.3% Bottles (729)
Domaine Y. Clerget 4.2% Bottles (715)
Domaine de Montille 4.0% Bottles (683)
Domaine Henri Boillot 3.6% Bottles (611)
Benjamin Leroux 3.2% Bottles (550)
Domaine Joseph Voillot 2.9% Bottles (489)
Nicolas Rossignol 2.6% Bottles (454)
Réyane et Pascal Bouley 2.4% Bottles (414)

How would those who have tasted a lot of these differentiate among these producers? I.e. by style, quality, etc. or other utterly subjective criteria? Or maybe another way of thinking about it, if I was going to build a tasting to represent the variations of Volnay, what would I want to bring to the table?

That’s quite a big question! And as most of these producers have evolved over the years, it’s open-ended.

Domaine Marquis d’Angerville: pure, satiny, elegant wines with depth and tension; today they are less austere / tight-knit than in the 1990s and before, but they still need time.

Domaine Michel Lafarge: a broader shouldered, wilder / more nobly rustic style, I hesitate to say earthier but certainly typically showing more tertiary notes than young d’Angerville; also, indeed a fortiori, reward long aging

La Pousse d’Or: formerly the poster child for whole cluster in the Côte de Beaune, beautifully floral and supple wines, today more modern and less distinctive

Bouchard Père et Fils: guess this is by virtue of the Cuvée Carnot, which is a well situated parcel of Caillerets. The 2016 and 2017 were pretty good, with Bouchard’s toasty/spicy cooperage signature

Domaine Jean-Marc / Thomas Bouley: a very serious young guy who spends a lot of time in the vines, lots of whole cluster here, and concentration for the vineyards not the cellar - really nice wines

Domaine Y. Clerget: a revived domaine with some very fine holdings and a dynamic young winemaker in Thibaud Clerget who has already attracted a lot of attention. Quite deep, saturated wines with persuasive purity of fruit. Evolving, it seems to me, in the direction of finesse.

Domaine de Montille: formerly austere wines for purists that took a long time to come around but often rewarded it; since the mid-1990s, more modern in style, less forbidding, with more new wood and a purer expression of fruit, though they still need bottle age

Domaine Henri Boillot: quite a gourmand, fleshy expression with a toasty wood signature - reds are getting lots of attention from Guillaume Boillot (a contemporary of the young Clerget) so worth watching

Benjamin Leroux: don’t know these so well

Domaine Joseph Voillot: a very classic style with supple tannins and lovely purity of fruit, they age well and drink well quite young too - somewhat under the radar

Nicolas Rossignol: rich, gourmand and vibrant wines that are very impressive, Rossignol used quite a bit of new wood at the start of his career but now uses hardly any

Réyane et Pascal Bouley: don’t know these so well

What a fantastic post! Thanks for the education

Yes, it’s really a blessing to have William continue to share his informed insights on this board. I hope we don’t scare him off soon!

I even learned a new term from him – a fortiori. But all you Monkton attorneys already knew that, right?

Nathan_V · February 12, 2019, 7:20pm

If I were to put them on a stylistic spectrum, Voillot is the most traditional, H. Boillot the most modern and d’Angerville firmly occupying the center (NB: I’m not familiar with all of these producers).

One producer that was left off that I personally think is doing outstanding work is Louis Boillot. Only a couple of wines in Volnay and isn’t based there, but somewhere around d’Angerville on the spectrum, though a bit more lean.

People buying wine from vintages prior to 2010 should be aware that there were two estates at that time called Louis Boillot. TN: Louis Boillot 2011 Volnay 1er Les Angles - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers From prior discussions on this topic with Nathan, I would assume that he is describing the Louis Boillot that is the husband of Barthod in Chambolle, not the one who was a small producer in Volnay. The second one is now owned by Champy, which I believe calls the wines from the old Boillot properties the Domaine de la Chapelle.

Howard, yes exactly, I’m referring to Ghislaine Barthod’s husband, Louis Boillot, who formed his domain in 2003 from the Lucien Boillot domain which continues under his brother. I have never had wines from the other Louis Boillot that you refer to.

Peter_Chiu · February 12, 2019, 7:49pm

That’s quite a big question! And as most of these producers have evolved over the years, it’s open-ended.

Domaine Marquis d’Angerville: pure, satiny, elegant wines with depth and tension; today they are less austere / tight-knit than in the 1990s and before, but they still need time.

Domaine Michel Lafarge: a broader shouldered, wilder / more nobly rustic style, I hesitate to say earthier but certainly typically showing more tertiary notes than young d’Angerville; also, indeed a fortiori, reward long aging

La Pousse d’Or: formerly the poster child for whole cluster in the Côte de Beaune, beautifully floral and supple wines, today more modern and less distinctive

Bouchard Père et Fils: guess this is by virtue of the Cuvée Carnot, which is a well situated parcel of Caillerets. The 2016 and 2017 were pretty good, with Bouchard’s toasty/spicy cooperage signature

Domaine Jean-Marc / Thomas Bouley: a very serious young guy who spends a lot of time in the vines, lots of whole cluster here, and concentration for the vineyards not the cellar - really nice wines

Domaine Y. Clerget: a revived domaine with some very fine holdings and a dynamic young winemaker in Thibaud Clerget who has already attracted a lot of attention. Quite deep, saturated wines with persuasive purity of fruit. Evolving, it seems to me, in the direction of finesse.

Domaine de Montille: formerly austere wines for purists that took a long time to come around but often rewarded it; since the mid-1990s, more modern in style, less forbidding, with more new wood and a purer expression of fruit, though they still need bottle age

Domaine Henri Boillot: quite a gourmand, fleshy expression with a toasty wood signature - reds are getting lots of attention from Guillaume Boillot (a contemporary of the young Clerget) so worth watching

Benjamin Leroux: don’t know these so well

Domaine Joseph Voillot: a very classic style with supple tannins and lovely purity of fruit, they age well and drink well quite young too - somewhat under the radar

Nicolas Rossignol: rich, gourmand and vibrant wines that are very impressive, Rossignol used quite a bit of new wood at the start of his career but now uses hardly any

Réyane et Pascal Bouley: don’t know these so well

What a fantastic post! Thanks for the education

Yes, it’s really a blessing to have William continue to share his informed insights on this board. I hope we don’t scare him off soon!

I even learned a new term from him – a fortiori. But all you Monkton attorneys already knew that, right?

1 regarding your comments to have William…

MChang · February 12, 2019, 11:57pm

Was 2010 the last vintage from Louis Boillot? I just opened a 10 Grande Poisots tonight which is beautiful.

john_stimson · February 13, 2019, 12:38am

What a great response from folks a lot of very useful information. The dilemma now is what to do interms of a tasting. Do you pick one site (eg Champans) and a bunch of different producers, or or one producer and a bunch of differentsites (eg d’angerville)? I realize I’m not helping much here.

MChang · February 13, 2019, 12:48am

I think the one site a lot of producers use is caillerets

Tom_G_l_a_s_g_o_w · February 13, 2019, 1:13am

How about a label shot?

YLee · February 13, 2019, 1:16am

Never had Rossignol wines. Which of his wines woild you say are top notch that you have tasted?

MChang · February 13, 2019, 1:17am

Cheever and Caillerets are the best imo.

MChang · February 13, 2019, 1:18am

Tom_G_l_a_s_g_o_w · February 13, 2019, 1:54am

That the producer Nathan is mentioning.

MChang · February 13, 2019, 2:07am

This is the one that’s not married to Barthod? Or is?

James_Billy · February 13, 2019, 2:32am

So, whole bunch/cluster seems popular in Volnay. Which producers generally destem 100% and which ones generaly only use small percentages of stems?

Cheers!

R_Frankel · February 13, 2019, 2:33am

Agreed (great info! just the kind of discussion I was hoping for). Of course both approaches to tastings are fun and informative, though I’m leaning towards trying to sample multiple producers to get a feel for style, and then zero in on whatever I like best. D’Angerville is double (or more) the prices of the others, but the price gap is not as huge as in other appellations. I’m still struggling whether to pay the premium.

Craig_G · February 13, 2019, 2:47am

Here’s the link to the old Volnay Appellation thread. There is some interesting discussion there.

Alan_Rath · February 13, 2019, 2:53am

Or without the distracting search highlights

Craig_G · February 13, 2019, 2:59am

Sorry.