Tasted in Volnay with Jean-Pierre Charlot, 19 Feb. 2014.
JP Charlot on 2012:
Lost 60% of a normal crop.
“I like classic vintages and 2010, 2011, 2012, and probably 2013 too, are all like that, but all are different.”
JP Charlot on 2013:
Lost 45% of a normal crop.
JP Charlot on prices:
“Our prices will rise by 20% for 2012. It wasn’t possible to go higher. Clearly it’s still a loss, but at this level it is sufficiently supported by the distribution network, despite the big cuts in allocations.”
The wines:
Only recently bottled.
A nose of high-toned, pretty red fruit. Round, detailed and balanced, there’s just a hint of fatty padding and very good mid-palate concentration. I like the length too, which is a blend of fruit and minerals.
2012 Volnay Vieilles-Vignes
Only recently bottled.
Here the aromatic is more airy, more modest and a little soft. The palate is narrower yet more precise and bright than the Bourgogne. Lovely detail here. A little peak of concentration in the mid-palate. Yum!
2012 Pommard Vieilles-Vignes
Only recently bottled.
Here the nose is more shy and the fruit darker – slowly growing fresher tones. Fuller, with a little more tannin and again with darker fruit. Lovely intensity – this has more power in the finish.
Only recently bottled.
Normally 11 barrels from this plot, in 2012 only 2…
The nose has depth but a little less width, and there’s something savoury there too. Lovely, lovely width, with a hint of tannic grain, but gorgeous fruit pushes the tannin well into the background. Simply super!
2012 Volnay 1er Cru Champans
Only recently bottled.
Red fruit with a little more mineral aromatic. Width and texture – the tannin has a little grip but, again, beautiful fruit: airy focused and very, very pretty. There’s an additional floral aspect to the finishing flavour. Very lovely wine, but one that suggests plenty of time in the cellar will be amply rewarded.
2012 Pommard 1er Cru Clos Micault
Only recently bottled.
The nose almost offers a texture to go with its dark-ish fruit. The palate has a more overt structure, but slowly, slowly the fruit pushes out from the core of the wine, through into the finish. And lovely fruit it is.
Only recently bottled.
Detailed, fine dark fruit and a faint whiff of spice and herb. Full, round and faintly padded. Mineral in the mid-palate. More tannin and fine fruit. A beauty!