2012 Volnay

David Croix usually bottles the two Volnays separately, but depleted quantities mean customers will have to suffice with their 2012 Volnay Village Cru. The bouquet needed a little coaxing but eventually it gives up some feisty red currant and pomegranate aromas. The palate is more the structured, exuding a masculine style of Volnay that is less supple and rounded than is typical. It needs to show just a little more persistency on the finish, but it may well flesh out over the next few months. Maison Camille Giroud is one of Burgundy’s stalwarts that can trace its roots back to 1886. I became acquainted with their wines in the 1990s and to be truthful they languished behind their peers: rather rustic fare that might have been acceptable in the 1970s, but not any longer. When a group of investors, including Ann Colgin and Joe Wender, bought Camille Giroud in 2002, they sought a young, talented winemaker to take the negociant by the scruff of the neck and kick-start a renaissance. That is exactly what happened when David Croix was hired as regisseur in 2005. Most of the fruit is contracted, though like Albert Bichot across the road, David prefers not to distinguish them from the two crus that are owned by the estate. David manages the vineyards and has summarized his policy: one contracted grower per cru in order to articulate a sense of place. “The wines from Camille Giroud tend to be more delicate than Domaine des Croix,” David explained, “and need less barrel aging. They tend to show red fruit, more cherries than my own wines.” In 2012, there are far fewer crus to choose from since yields were down 50% and some significant contracts, the likes of Latricieres-Chambertin and Corton Clos des Roi, were cancelled in their entirety since there was no fruit, which after all is helpful if you want to make wine. Still, what David Croix has managed to eke out from a challenging season is worth seeking out: refined and feminine wines that make up in freshness what might be missing in complexity. Plus they succeed in expressing their terroir as David always intends. Importer: Becky Wasserman Selections (Le Serbet) and through various US importers (see www.leserbet.com for full list.)