2009 Volnay Clos des Chenes

The 2009 Volnay Clos des Chênes is a delicate, perfumed wine 61 graced with weightless, translucent fruit. Dark red berries, plums, spices and cedar linger on the effortless, long finish. Drouhin used 10-15% whole clusters here.

The 2009 Volnay Clos des Chenes is a delicate, perfumed wine graced with weightless, translucent fruit. Dark red berries, plums, spices and cedar linger on the effortless, long finish. Drouhin used 10-15% whole clusters here. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2024. Drouhin farms 75 hectares of vineyards according to biodynamic principles. Maceration and fermentation lasts about three weeks. The wines are then racked into oak in a cold part of the cellar to slow down the malos, although in 2009 they were entirely done by December. The estate leaves the wines on their lees for several months with one racking, or two if needed, prior to being assembled for bottling. New oak ranges from 25% for the entry-level wines to 50-65% for the grand crus. Veronique Drouhin thinks the 2009s will stay open throughout their lives, much as the 1985s have. All of these 2009s were bottled between early December, 2010 and January, 2011. Importer: Dreyfus Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770

(bottled in July) Palish red. Delicate aromas of cherry and flowers. Supple, silky and sweet, offering good density of red fruit flavors and easygoing tannins. Good light pinot noir but I'm not sure I could have picked the village.