2017 Volnay Santenots du Milieu

A super-fresh if somewhat brooding nose is comprised by notes of essence of red pinot fruit, spice and lavender that really helped from being in a decanter for 30 minutes first. The succulent and reasonably concentrated medium weight flavors exude a subtle minerality before concluding in a compact, powerful, complex and impressively persistent finish. This seems to have put on weight since I last reviewed it and I like the overall sense of harmony and balance. In sum, this is evolving nicely though I underscore that it still needs at least another 5 or so years. In a word, lovely.

The 2017 Volnay Les Santenots 1er Cru has a strict, almost Pommard-like bouquet of dark berry fruit, touches of iodine and an underlying marine influence. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, chalky tannins, a crisp line of acidity and a vibrant, tensile finish that delivers plenty of horsepower. This is superb. Closure is Diam 30 Organic. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting.

The 2017 Volnay Les Santenots-du-Milieu 1er Cru has a complex bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, a touch of whole cluster from an additional vat lending a little pepperiness. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins on the entry and a little compact at the moment. The elegant, transparent finish has a skip in its step. Divine.