It has become a cliché that “French Burgundy is a minefield.” It is all too possible to spend upwards of one hundred dollars for shockingly ordinary stuff. But these are some of the most amazing Pinot Noirs – heck wines – on this planet.
It has become even more important to search out the producers that matter. And pray that they offer some sort of value. In Joseph Voillot, we have both insane quality and incredible value.
Voillot is in Volnay, the heart of the Cote d’Or, and wines are made both from Volnay and from Pommard. You couldn’t ask for more disparate interpretations of Pinot Noir. Volnay wines are from chalk and limestone soils, known for ethereal, feminine, elegance wines. Pommard wines are from iron and clay. The wines are masculine and powerful, but in a truly Pinot Noir way. More on those later.
I won’t talk much about the winemaker other than to say the Joseph Voillot’s son is doing it right. Sustainable agriculture. Microscopic yields. Minimal SO2. Minor amounts of oak. Five generations of winemaking have made sure that this property is exceptionally run.
Now to the wines. Keep in mind that these are very young and 2007 wasn’t a great year.
Joseph Voillot 2007 Bourgogne Rouge. $24.99 OH retail.
“Sourced from 50 year-old vines in Volnay, this is one of the sexiest cheap Burgundies I’ve ever had. The color is a wonderful shimmering red and bright aromas leap from the glass. You don’t have to go looking for them. This wine, at this price, deserves to frequent your dinner table. Especially with poultry.”
Joseph Voillot 2007 Volnay Vielles Vignes. $51.99 OH Retail.
“This includes some 1er Cru and non-1er Cru juice from nine parcels. It is textbook Volnay without any specific expression of micro-terroir. Better than most $50 Pinot Noirs, but next come the premier crus.”
Joseph Voillot 2007 Volnay 1er Cru ‘Le Champans’ $51.99 OH Retail.
“My favorite of the Volnays comes from the 4 acre ‘les Champans’ vineyards. The vines here date back to 1934. The wine is spicy and complex and elegant and sexy all in one. Think about any of the Italian beauties that graced Frederico Fellini films and you get a personification of this wine.”
Joseph Voillot 2007 Volnay 1er Cru ‘Les Fremiets’ $51.99 OH Retail.
“To anyone who says terroir doesn’t exist, I give them the ‘les Fremiets’ vineyard. On the border of Volnay and Pommard, a little of the Pommard clay seeps into the ground of this vineyard. This gives the style and noticeable ‘drop’ of Pommard fullness. Fifty year-old vines and tight yields make this a wine for the cellar. I’d love to taste this again in a decade.”
The Pommards will be in the next blog post.
It has become even more important to search out the producers that matter. And pray that they offer some sort of value. In Joseph Voillot, we have both insane quality and incredible value.
Voillot is in Volnay, the heart of the Cote d’Or, and wines are made both from Volnay and from Pommard. You couldn’t ask for more disparate interpretations of Pinot Noir. Volnay wines are from chalk and limestone soils, known for ethereal, feminine, elegance wines. Pommard wines are from iron and clay. The wines are masculine and powerful, but in a truly Pinot Noir way. More on those later.
I won’t talk much about the winemaker other than to say the Joseph Voillot’s son is doing it right. Sustainable agriculture. Microscopic yields. Minimal SO2. Minor amounts of oak. Five generations of winemaking have made sure that this property is exceptionally run.
Now to the wines. Keep in mind that these are very young and 2007 wasn’t a great year.
Joseph Voillot 2007 Bourgogne Rouge. $24.99 OH retail.
“Sourced from 50 year-old vines in Volnay, this is one of the sexiest cheap Burgundies I’ve ever had. The color is a wonderful shimmering red and bright aromas leap from the glass. You don’t have to go looking for them. This wine, at this price, deserves to frequent your dinner table. Especially with poultry.”
Joseph Voillot 2007 Volnay Vielles Vignes. $51.99 OH Retail.
“This includes some 1er Cru and non-1er Cru juice from nine parcels. It is textbook Volnay without any specific expression of micro-terroir. Better than most $50 Pinot Noirs, but next come the premier crus.”
Joseph Voillot 2007 Volnay 1er Cru ‘Le Champans’ $51.99 OH Retail.
“My favorite of the Volnays comes from the 4 acre ‘les Champans’ vineyards. The vines here date back to 1934. The wine is spicy and complex and elegant and sexy all in one. Think about any of the Italian beauties that graced Frederico Fellini films and you get a personification of this wine.”
Joseph Voillot 2007 Volnay 1er Cru ‘Les Fremiets’ $51.99 OH Retail.
“To anyone who says terroir doesn’t exist, I give them the ‘les Fremiets’ vineyard. On the border of Volnay and Pommard, a little of the Pommard clay seeps into the ground of this vineyard. This gives the style and noticeable ‘drop’ of Pommard fullness. Fifty year-old vines and tight yields make this a wine for the cellar. I’d love to taste this again in a decade.”
The Pommards will be in the next blog post.
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1 comments:
These were all great wines, but those 1er crus were spectacular, even for as young as they are. The Fremiets won by a hair for me, but it was close.
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