Tasted in Volnay with Benoît Landanger and Marleen Nicot, 30 January 2018.
Domaine de la Pousse d’Or
8 Rue de la Chapelle
21190 Volnay
Tel: +33 3 80 21 24 03
www.lapoussedor.fr
Benoît Landanger has been ‘in and around’ the domaine with his father Patrick since 1997, though he says “more seriously joining in for vinifications for the last 5 years,” but officially Benoit is responsible for the domaine since January 1st 2018. When I visited, Patrick was enjoying the first few weeks of his retirement in Portugal, though he retains not just his apartment at the domaine, but also his interest on what is happening day-to-day in Volnay.
Benoît on 2017:
2017 was an incredible year in Burgundy, from the perspectives of quality, quantity and balance it’s great for all the wineries, but particularly so in Volnay, after the short crops of the last years. The policy here is to limit production to 35 hl/ha, but it would have been easy to make at 55 in 2017. So for us it’s not a high quantity harvest, it’s a correct quantity harvest. Oh – and more good news in 2017 – we will have a second white wine – we are so happy to have vinified and elevaged a Chevalier-Montrachet!
Benoît on 2016:
“For sure, 2016 was complicated, but it’s also about – geographically – where those complications were, because in some places there were more – Puligny and Chambolle for example. It’s a good time to taste as the wines will be bottled next week, on the change of the moon. ”
The wines…
Another GREAT range in 2016 to go with the same in 2015 – there is nothing here that I wouldn’t covet for my own cellar! Sometimes I have the impression that optically sorted fruit can have a style that tends towards ‘singular’ rather complex. The team here are using that type of sorting much less – and they have ‘complex.’ Of-course they also have the ultimate in purity with some magnifcent cuvées made in their amphora. On so many levels, this is currently one of the most exciting addresses in the Côte d’Or.
2016 Santenay 1er Clos Tavannes
Lots of width and a depth of dark fruit. Ooh, here is a really super combination of volume and freshness – a little rasp of finishing tannin. Wide and pure finishing. Super finish – super wine!
An extra width of aroma – depth of fine fruit here with a floral accent coming through. Wide, transparent, a little tannin, great wine here. Such dimension of flavour.
2016 Volnay 1er Clos d’Audignac
Named after the owner in the 800s who planted vines here – François d’Audignac
A little reduction on the nose, the depth of aroma is augmented because of that. Beautiful line, more direct, more mouth watering – a little tannin, a little saline accent here – from the wood tannin probabaly – super wine.
2016 Clos de la Bousse d’Or
Lots of aromatic depth, dark-fruited, but not reductive, becoming ever-more interesting. An extra sweetness but the palate remains lithe, fresh and transparent. There’s a growing mid-palate width before layered finishing flavour – really delicious.
Width and depth, really some aromatic complexity here – it’s very inviting indeed. Transparent – ooh – gorgeous in the mouth. So many layers of gorgeous flavour – great wine.
2016 Pommard 1er Les Jarolières
A deep, almost saline quality to this nose. Supple, layered depth of flavour, almost muscular, a little drag to the tannin, but delicious and complex wine, indeed excellent wine…
Plenty of aromatic depth here – more modest width today. Ooh wide, fresh, layered delivery of flavour over the palate – not about overt concentration but about great energy and a good freshness. Such a great and winding road of finishing flavour here – yes. Super wine with super finesse.
Here is a fine aromatic volume, a saline character again. Volume in the mouth again, melting flavour with real quality of intensity without becoming too overt. A little extra tannin, but very fine textured. Extra finishing interest. Great wine again – a super selection of wines today…
Three barrels produced 22-23 barrels would be classed as normal!
Here the aroma is open like that of the Clos du Roi, but with a little more floral aspect hanging on the structure. More tannin, but width and layered delivery of great flavour – delicious flavour. Such a great villages.
2016 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Feuselottes
More aromatic weight here – very open. Width, height, freshness, a growing, delicious intensity, more mineral than the villages, more mouth-watering, smaller finishing layers of flavour. Ooh that’s good!
A similar volume if less aromatic density – more depth. Extra sweetness, but freshness and slowly density too. Really top. Great wine.
2016 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Groseilles
More depth and width of aroma – deep and attractive. A tighter core of flavour – concentrated but the melting flavour comes much slower than previous wines, but it comes. A weight of fine finishing flavour. A tighter wine yet with some much here. Give it time.
2016 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Amoureuses
Certainly more width and complexity, a depth to compare to any – this nose is a great start! Plenty of volume, plenty of structure too – complex, delicious wine and made in not too easy a style well done! Keep patient but this is worth it.
2016 Bonnes-Mares
Perhaps a little more density to the colour. Density to the nose too – a hint of spice – the first with that. Extra concentration, wider, finer texture. A supple tannin, fine wouth-watering in the finish. Excellent.
The first wine that’s quite different, aromatically, a sort of burnt caramel here – presumably from the barrels. Mineral, great dimension of flavour, some of that burnt-caramel here too. A little tannic finishing structure but what great a wine of complexity – bravo! I would wait a few years to lessen the effect of any oak
Now for the Amphora wines – yes wines – it is a wider range in 2016. Benoît explains “We are simply looking to avoid all additives, and in the end, flavours and aromas that come from the wood are essentailly additives. The word amphora has ‘natural wine’ connotations, because of that I don’t really like the name. But here, the amphora is simply a neutral container for our elevage – there is just a little SO2 addition – low – so it’s still a risk, but not such a risk that the wines might fall apart when transported.”
2016 Volnay 1er Caillerets Amphora
That is very beautiful – the aroma here is certainly the silkiest impression of all the wines so far. Beautiful in the mouth, the tannin is so modest yet still supporting. Complex, not too energetic but with very fine balance. Fabulous.
A wide, fine, airy beautiful nose – slowly adding a dimension of pure fruit. Yes! Wow – extra dimension of pure fruit. Wow – in the finish too. The finish is narrower but very long.
2016 Volnay 1er Les 60 Ouvrées Amphora
Again it’s such a pure wine on the nose – captivating. Transparent, wide lots of volume, great energy. Really a great finish once more.
And to finish:
Super aromatic depth, sweetness but complexity too. Wide, intense – ooh what a line of flavour – growing in intensity oooh – great, great – no fat – a racehorse. Great wine with a beautiful mineral finish…