2001 Domaine des Comtés Lafon Volnay Santenots du Milieu 1er Cru

(the August hail resulted in a small crop of very ripe grapes, according to Dominique Lafon): Good medium red with the beginning of amber at the edge. Musky, fully ripe aromas and flavors of redcurrant, chocolate and earth, plus a whiff of cedar. (Lafon pointed out that he picked riper and did more extraction back in 2001 than he does today and one can sense that from the nose.) Fat, sweet wine with lovely depth and sound framing acidity; the fruit element is holding nicely. Finishes with fine-grained dusty tannins. Lafon told me that after the hail of 2001 he purchased a vibrating sorting table, and that ended up helping him eliminate the ladybugs in 2004.

Good full red. Deeper, riper aromas of plum, cherry and licorice, with hints of rose petal and leather; pure and nuanced for a Volnay from this difficult year. Fat, sweet and rich, with nicely integrated acidity and solid underlying structure. Finishes with firm, dusty tannins and lingering sweetness.

Candied black cherries can be found in the nose of the 2001 Volnay Santenots du Milieu. Light to medium-bodied, it offers gorgeous purity of fruit, excellent depth, and a silky-textured core of cherries. Projected maturity: now-2009. Dominique Lafon is on fire, in a zone, on top of his game. He’s never made better wines, and he improves with each passing vintage. Importers: Various including Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; tel: (617) 731-6644; Daniel Johnnes/Jeroboam Wines, New York, NY; (212) 625-2505; and Beaune Imports