2015 Volnay Les Angles
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Volnay Les Angles 1er Cru has a lifted but not overly complex nose of pressed iris flower and incense marrying nicely with dark brambly fruit. The palate is sweet and candied on the entry, featuring strawberry pastilles, dried orange peel and a light tang of marmalade. This feels compact toward the finish, tapering in slightly when on a Volnay I would have liked it to fan out and gain substance. As such, it comes across more Pommard-like in style thanks to its linearity and slight aloofness. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Bright ruby-red. Blacker and more medicinal on the nose than the Beaune Les Epenottes, conveying brooding notes of black cherry, licorice and menthol. Then surprisingly chewy and rich in the mouth, conveying a strong impression of mineral-driven dry extract. Finishes dense, slightly high-toned and long, with considerable tannic force. More powerfully structured than the 2016 version, this wine should age slowly and may yet merit an even higher score. Boillot, who routinely picks these vines first, harvested here on September 2 in 2015.
The 2015 Volnay 1er Cru Les Angles was the first to be harvested since the alcohol potential was already 13.7°. This has a far superior bouquet than the Les Grandes Poisets with ample redcurrant and strawberry notes, with tangible mineralité and good tension. The palate is sweet, rounded and plush with sinewy tannin, but a fine threat of acidity and impressive density towards the finish. If you're looking for a well-made opulent Volnay, this is the ticket.
(these 45-year-old vines were harvested first in 2015, on September 2): Dark red. Medicinal black cherry and licorice plus an herbal nuance on the nose. Juicy and concentrated, conveying excellent energy and an impression of sweetness to the slightly high-toned flavors of dark fruits, licorice and bitter chocolate. A rather powerful style of Volnay, finishing with chewy tannins and excellent lift. Boillot always picks this fruit early because the vines were partly planted to clones in 1978 and the pH here has a tendency to rise quickly at harvest time.