Need help finding the right Volnay.

I come in seek of wisdom from the OG Berserkers. Let me start by saying I am a burgundy newbie as I haven’t much exposure mainly because when I got into wine I began in other regions, not to mention the cost…yikes…

It all started December 14th when my wife and I went to NYC for the night. We dined at Vaucluse and after speaking with the Sommelier we decided to go with a bottle of 2006 Domaine Lafarge Volnay Vendanges Selectionness. Wow. I have had some red burgundy in the past from different villages and vintages but this was absolutely wonderful stuff. Now I know Lafarge is a great domaine (god bless the dead) and that this was only village wine from not the most highly rated year, but DAMN. When I read up about Volnay afterward, they say Volnay is a “Beautiful” wine and that is the exact description that came to mind that night. I thought to myself, this would be a great wine to have in my cellar as an “affordable” red burg birth year wine for daughter (2015). However I have found that the 2015 Lafarge Volnay VS has disappeared from shelves everywhere…in the world…

I am looking for something comparable in quality and cost (sub $100…150). I’ve read on other threads about other great Volnay producer but am looking for feedback from anyone has had Lafarge Volnay VS and could give a comparable recommendation, even outside of Volnay.

Thank you,
Chad

D’Angerville Volnay 1er cru from 2015 is in your price range and gets good CT scores. D’Angerville makes beautifully feminine Volnays with lots of fruit. One of my favorite Volnay producers.

From 2015 I’d consider:

Angerville Champans
Clerget Versueil or Caillerets
Rossignol Caillerets or Chevrets
Lafarge Chenes (might be a bit more than 150)
Ramonet Chassagne Montrachet 1er Clos de la Boudriotte
Barthod Chatelots or maybe Grunchiers
Mugnier Clos de la Marechale

I would recommend Jean-Marc Bouley Clos de Chenes 2015.

It’s a “bigger” vintage but likely to appeal to relative newbie palate.

The producer makes more transparent, delicate, red fruited Volnays that drink well young.

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On the more affordable end of the scale in the Lafarge profile, Voillot comes to mind. Very pure and don’t require 20 years to drink well. Especially the V.V. or 1er Fremiets (Champans needs a bit more cellar time).
Tawse makes a nice Fremiets as well that doesn’t demand decades, as does Bouchard with their Clos des Chenes.

You can find many more “serious” Volnay for your daughters birth year, but will be up the scale in terms of price (d’Angerville or De Montille) and for me are different profiles than a village wine from Lafarge.

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The best producers of Volnay are Lafarge, D’Angerville and Comte Lafon IMHO. None of these are cheap and the wines need time to drink like the 13 year old wine you tasted.

To me, the best value producer in Volnay was Dublere. His wines are a bit lighter than the wines above and not as long, but they are much less expensive. Unfortunately, Blair Pethel sold the domaine and no longer makes wines, but this only happened about a year ago so that you might find his wines around still. Two places that have them are Schneiders in Washington and Flickinger in Chicago.

A real up and coming producer of Volnay is Clerget. While you can find older wines made by his father, Thibauld Clerget wines start around 2015.

Other good producers include Jean-Marc Bouley (not easy to find), Henri Boillot, Pousse d’Or and Nicholas Rossignol.

I would throw in Montille. His crus are on price par with Angerville and Lafarge.

I would throw in Montille. His crus are on price par with Angerville and Lafarge.

You should definitely look at the Jean-Marc Bouley wines, he is one of the finest viticulturists in the village, and his 2017s are beautiful - I tried them from bottle a few months ago. Consider his Beaune Reversées as a wine that drinks well younger.

Also worth mentioning is Thierry Glantenay, a softly-spoken and unassuming guy who is producing some terrific wines, from his Volnay Vieilles Vignes to his Clos des Chênes. These wines are likely less expensive than many of those mentioned in this thread, but also qualitatively equal to many of them, and the supple, satiny style is very seductive.

Domaine Joseph Voillot is also a very fine domaine in Volnay, there’s a recent and approbatory thread about them to be unearthed that I won’t duplicate here.

Nicolas Rossignol, once the enfant terrible of the Côte de Beaune is now making delicious and elegant wines with much less new oak than a decade ago, worth consideration.

But finding a domaine to compare with Lafarge’s style is not easy. The rudiments are destemming, quite long cuvaison, long élevage with racking in mostly old—and I mean really quite old in some cases—barrels. In some ways, one could compare with the Michel Gaunoux wines in Pommard, but those have a different patina. The solution might just be to look for some more Lafarge, perhaps from other appellations.

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As mentioned, Voillot and J-M Bouley are excellent options in the $100-150 category. Same with D’Angerville (particularly the ‘Champans’) and Montille (‘Champans’ and ‘Taillepieds’). And, while not everyone agrees with me, I love Pousse d’Or’s ‘60 Ouvrees’ and ‘Bousse d’Or,’ although admittedly the Pousse wines are not very Lafarge-like at all.

The problem you face, as William says, is that there’s really nothing quite like Lafarge, which is my favorite Volnay producer and arguably my favorite producer in all of Burgundy. Lafarge and D’Angerville are occasionally grouped together as the twin kings of Volnay, but in reality I’ve never had a D’Angerville that reached the heights of great Lafarge.

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The Jean-Marc Bouley wines are terrific.

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Just wanted to tip my hat and give thanks for this thread. Without exception, those who are participating are sharing real knowledge with a generosity of spirit that exemplifiesthe best of what this website can produce. I look forward to learning more.

Appreciatively,
Jonathan

O here I go again. Another one of those threads where I get on winesearcher to see whats available nearby so I can Try to find not overpriced burgundy that might get me my epiphany moment.

Sounds familiar! I think I have the same condition - PWBWBD (Post Wine Berserkers Wine Buying Disorder)

The OP was looking for Volnays, so the last three on your list wouldn’t qualify.

+1
I’m lurking and taking notes as well

But the Ramonet is such a good value he should try it anyway

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There was another thread on producers in Volnay a while ago. Look here.

If you are looking for something to put aside for your daughter’s birth year, give some thought about what you are doing. Is it for you or her? Are you putting it aside as a gift to her, or as something you want to drink (together possibly) for some memorable event in her life. Will you force her to drink it, even if she doesn’t like wine or alcohol? Will you drink it by yourself as she does something memorable in her life? My thought is that if it is for her, give it to her and allow her to do what she wants with it at an appropriate age. If she wants to sell it and use the money to buy a tennis racket, let her.I would suggest buying two bottles, one for yourself, and one for her. Let her do what she wants to do with her bottle, and do what you want to do with the other bottle.

Also, I would be patient about the 2015s Lafarges. They may reappear on websites. At one point when I was focusing on wedding year wines (1999), I felt that everything was gone already. But things popped up and do even now. The prices may not be the best, but they may not be that bad. And there are other good Burgundies out there. Unfortunately 2015 Burgundy may be a vintage that has a sticky high price.

Oh, and one comment – If you are putting aside something for your daughter, look for something that will last 20+ years. 2015 should, but you may want to focus on premier cru or grand cru (Volnay has no grand cru).

He said or comparable wine outside of volnay.

I might suggest Drouhin as one that is high quality and might be more easily found. I also like Benjamin Leroux, whose village wine can excel above its designation. As with the others, as you navigate through the appellation, you will encounter a wide range of styles and vineyard expressions. It’s all part of the fun, imo.