2001 Volnay Caillerets
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Tasting notes
Deep red-ruby color shows very little development. Similarly remarkably youthful on the nose, offering scents of crushed strawberry, spiced bread, smoke and cedar. Superb density and ripeness; an impressively large-scaled Volnay with serious ripe tannins and wonderful length. Henri Boillot told me that he bottled his 2001 reds before the harvest of 2002 as the vintage featured a lot of millerandage and he was afraid of hardening the wines. Incidentally, Boillot says he's not wild about the ripeness of the tannins in 2002 and that he prefers his 2001s. I tasted this wine from a 375-ml. bottle, which suggests that 750s of this wine will be especially long-lived. (Boillot told me that he has essentially no remaining stock of the 2001s "except for the whites.")
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Red-ruby color. Fresh, deep aromas of black raspberry, black cherry and licorice. By far the most pristine of these Volnays, with pure black fruit flavors firmed by bright, harmonious acidity. Very youthful wine with sweet tannins. A triumph for the appellation and the vintage.
Fresh candied blueberries can be detected in the nose of the 2001 Volnay-Caillerets. Stony black fruits, currants, and spices make up this masculine, structured wine's character. It displays outstanding depth of fruit and concentration yet is foursquare and somewhat rustic, particularly when compared to the Chevret and Fremiets. Projected maturity: 2005-2010. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083
(50% new oak) Deep ruby-red. Black cherry, bitter chocolate, mint and spices on the aromatic nose. Brighter and more precise in the mouth, with a mineral element conveying a strong impression of soil. Doesn't offer quite the youthful charm of the Fremiets, but with aeration this showed a thicker texture and a wild, meaty quality and growing sweetness. Finishes with excellent grip.
About the producer
Based in Meursault and farming some of the finest vineyards in the Côte de Beaune, Henri Boillot is a leading address in Burgundy. He crafts fine Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but the estate is best known for its flagship monopole vineyard, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos de la Mouchère.