Volnay 2014 – Nicolas Rossignol

Update 25.5.2016(24.5.2016)billn

DSC09494Tasted in Beaune with Nicolas Rossignol, 28 February 2016.

Having already tasted the 2014s of Nicolas in November, I’d been hoping to run a small vertical with Nicolas – Roncerets perhaps, as he likes it so much – but he was so ‘up’ on his new wines that he changed the plan and wanted me to taste again. You won’t regret having any of these in your cellar!

Nicolas on his 2014s:
“The 14s are not the same I think now they are bottled. I find them really a hypothetical mix of 12 and 13. Yes they have a gourmandise about them, yes they taste great already, but these are not simple, early drinking wines.
All these were opened the day before, and have been in bottle 2 weeks.”

The wines…
Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Commune of Volnay and Pommard sourced grapes
Great colour and a great nose too. Round, supple but concentrated and fine balance – really an impressive extra dimension of flavour too. Top!

Savigny -lès-Beaune
The nose is wider with a little fresh herb. More direct, but again a lovely extra dimension of flavour, more intensity too – ‘but’ just a little more hard edged. Only just – super 😉

Pommard Les Vignots
The only parcel not hit by hail in 14, so 30% whole-clusters were used.
A deep nose of silky dark fruit – a rather discreet nose but fine purity. Wide, almost a Volnay style of palate here, just a hint more texture and width, Vosne-style complexity. Very yum!

Volnay
5 parcels, 1 from above and 4 from below the village, only assembled at the end.
Simply gorgeous on the nose – fruit and flowers, very silky too. Really fabulous in the mid-palate, weight, volume, but not dense – simply brilliant. Really long.
Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Lavieres
An earthy nose – as it should be but wonderfully packaged with modest freshness. Cool, less obviously ripe but muscled, no fat and with really brilliant complexity – wait 3 years for it to be more approachable, but…wow – and what a finish!
Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Fourneaux
One year without sulphur there was some before in barrel, but the malo didn’t finish for a year only then was it sulphured.
Deep colour. Rounder, riper but with fine precise herb notes. Wow, here is a super (easier than Lavieres) complexity, delivered in waves – what a great, wide, textured but ripe tannin, wine!

Beaune 1er
Mixed Reversées and Clos du Roi because of the hail.
Really deep colour. Wide and rather high-toned fruit. Round and you think easy and then the structure and almost strictness starts to set in, serious, with tannin and a mouth-watering width. Impressive stuff.

Volnay 1er Clos des Angles
35% whole-cluster
Medium-plus colour. A perfume that wraps around your nose, silky and cushioned – gorgeous. Direct with just a little cushioning, really great dimension of flavour – fresh but not overtly-so. Plenty of structure but really wrapped in essence of perfectly ripe but crunchy fruit. Bravo! Great persistence too.

Caillerets
Two parcels one next to d’Angerville, other near 60 Ouvrées.
Medium, medium-plus colour. Now that’s complex, a little higher toned but seemingly with many layers, sedimentary layers of aroma. Wow – vibrant, complex wine, layers of flavour. A delicacy yet power too the steel hand in a furry glove – not the biggest but simply a gorgeous thing.

Chevrets
Henri Boillot, Bouchard and here for this wine. 50% whole-cluster, bottled last week so one week less than the others..
Fresher, high tones, darer red fruit with a hint of herb. Here is more tannin texture, slowly growing, mouth-watering flavour. Serious but never hard – this will really benefit a few years of patience, but it will be excellent.

Roncerets
Here we are in the more powerful Volnay.
Medium, medium-plus. Very pretty and precise dark fruit – I have myrtille in mind – with a gorgeous freshness above – a spectaucular nose. Round, mouth-filling, dryness of tannin, but it’s only an anecdote – layers of mid-palate flavour. I don’t know if I like this or the Caillerets more – decisions! Super in the finish – wow!
Santenots
95% diu bas, and a smaller parcel of haute, 2.10 in total, but 3 different soild, so 3 different vinifications before assembling.
A more discreet but wide and seemingly silky nose. Round in the mouth – really mouth-filling – there’s volume but really nothing dense. Layers of concentrated flavour – still in the finish. Big wine compared to Caillerets, but never oppressive wine – bravo – simply fabulous!

Pommard 1er Chaponnieres
10-11hl/ha!
Medium-plus colour. Deep and silky wide fruit, more than a touch of silk here. Just a hint more tannin attack, and a cooler fruit too – the intensity slowly taking over. Great complex wine, one that fills your mouth and there’s flowers in the mid-palate too – but nothing facile here – wait for it to come to you. It will take 3-5 year. Really super.

Pommard 1er
An assembly of all the other 1ers bar one (the next one) that were too small to vinify alone.
Deep colour. Ouf! What a nose – depth, a hint of texture, round – to wallow in! Less overtly structured – but it’s still there, mouth-leaching complexity, really waves and waves of mouth-watering flavour – simply a tour de force. Great wine, seamless wine!

Pommard 1er Epenots
A new parcel added, seemingly large surface but very old vines with not much production.
This is an incredibly concentrated nose – almost over the top, but only in volume, not any other aspect of the nose – it’s a concentration thing. Simply massive, a wine with everything – I’m not going to list it – but the important thing is balance. Great wine – it will still be great in 30 years.

Aligoté d’oree
There’s sulphur at the back of the palate here – but also a brightness and almost spicyness. Supple, saline, quite large in the mouth, great texture here. Bravo!

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