Tasted with Romain Poirrotte in Volnay, 21 October 2021.
Domaine Jean Vaudoisey
6 Rue du Pied de la Vallée
21190 Volnay
Tel: +33 3 80 21 62 59
More reports for Domaine Jean Vaudoisey
Romain on 2021:
“We are mainly red, so we dd okay, but it wasn’t easy for sure…”
Romain on 2020:
“Ww will start bottling from the beginning of January. We started harvesting 22 August, starting with the whites where there were good yields, though below the maximum alloowed. All our whites are quite young vines. For the reds, 2020 was a deception! In the growing season we saw lots of grapes on the vines but in the end, not much juice was produced. We had a bit more than in 2019 but not much more. Really it was the lack of rain that dictated the volume – we had plenty of grapes but not much juice.”
The wines…
Just an absolutely delicious range from the team here – they hit the sweet spot every year that I’ve visited!
First the whites:
2020 Courgogne Côte d’Or Chardonnay
550-l barrels here. 6-year-old vines in the commune of Volnay – Les Grandes Terres
The oak still visible on the nose. Big in the mouth but with a good clarity and plenty of intensity here – keep this in the cellar a while because of the oak – or I would! – but the intensity and zesty freshness are lovely.
2020 Monthelie Sous Roche
First harvest from a small parcel – one barrel – all the work has to be done by hand as there is no tractor access.
More depth and more width of aroma in that depth. Again fine intensity, the barrel flavour hardly visible – concentrated but fresh and intense. Long finishing too – thats a superb start for this wine.
2020 Meursault
Also the first vintage, from vines that were replanted after the frost of 2016.
Quite a fruity nose, ripe but still with fresh energy. Rounder but fine acidity too. Here’s a bit more concentration in the middle and finishing flavours – tasty if not obviously Meursault.
Les Reds:
Almost all in the commune of Volnay but there’s a little from Pommard and Meursault too. A little young vines are included, but the average is still over 60 years old
Thats a bright and beautiful nose – crunchy, attractive red fruit. Plenty of sweetness, plenty of acidity too but making the concentration crunchy and alive. A very faint grain of tannin. Almost Great Bourgogne
2020 Volnay
About 10 parcels assembled from all around the village – high and low
There’s a touch of reduction from the barrel but behind is, once more, a vibrant fruit. Extra concentration here, a more saline quality with the tannin and in the finish too. Long and very impressive wine – as are so many Volnays in 2020.
2020 Pommard
Vaumuriens, Chanlins and Riottes.
A more mineral, almost graphite accent to this nose, matched by a darker colour of fruit. Fresh and wide, the concentration has extra balance from the acidity here. – big finishing. Big wine but balanced and delicious too.
2020 Volnay 1er Mitans
The vines are sited behind the big red house that’s on your left-hand side before the old Chapelle – direction Meursault. Here with 25% wc – the only wine with some. ‘I did it because sometimes I find too much finesse with this wine!’
Very faintly reductive – good quality of fruit again – eventually hinting at the wc with a slowly developing perfume. Big in the mouth, structure but so mouth-watering too. There’s plenty of concentration and material in this wine – certainly not too much finesse – be patient! I would wait at least three years – but you can wait 15 if you wish – no problem!