Dr. Lavalle listed this vineyard in his 1855 classifications as a "Tête de Cuvée", meaning one of the best of the commune.
Found in the small band of 1er Crus of Volnay, it benefits from well-drained, limestone-rich soil. Facing southeast allows the vines to benefit from the morning and early afternoon sunlight, and makes this as well an early ripening parcel.
2020 was the fourth in a row of warm, dry vintages that will probably be the new normal due to global warming I hesitate to say we are ‘used to it’ but we are no longer surprised and have made adjustments, particularly in vinfication. We are very happy with the result, but throughout the winemaking and the élevage we were cautious in our optimism. We had no winter, an early bud break and uneven flowering. We were worried about the heat and the lack of rain in the context of an expected small crop but the wines held up well. The cool nights helped and we are fortunate that our Pinot vines (except for Volnay 1er cru cuvée) average 60 years old with deep roots. We started picking on August 20th and finished the reds three days later. We even picked Corton Charlemagne (on the Pernand-Vergelesses side) on August 27th. Despite the ripeness, the grapes had excellent energy and the phenolic profile was well evolved. Even with 14 percent alcohols our wines finished with pH’s as low or lower than the four previous years. As we have practiced in recent vintages we exclusively used remontage during most of the vinification and finished with pigeages because we can better control finalizing extraction that way. We used less whole bunch than typical (about 10 – 15%) mainly because the style of vintage didn’t invite attenuation or distraction of any type. Vinification was relatively short, but at least 16 days. Malo was short and finished early. In the end we have very rich, even powerful, wines whose terroir is nevertheless unmistakable. We think the low pH and total acidity preserves that distinction. We ended up with 22 hl/ha for the reds and 35 hl/ha for the whites. For us 2020 combines elements of 2019, 2018 and 2003 – the best of those vintages. For those of a certain age I’m reminded of 1964.
The Volnay appellation is found mid-slope in the Côte de Beaune, with Pommard to the north and Meursault to the south. Although there are no Grands Crus here, Volnay's 30 Premiers Crus are unmatched.
Always appreciated for their finesse and beautiful bouquet, Volnays are often regarded as being feminine. The vines for this cuvée are on average 45 years old. This square shaped, "carré = Carelle”, vineyard is located just below the beautiful 16th century chapel of Volnay.
In order to fully appreciate the aromas it is best to serve this wine between 15-16°C / 59-61°F.
With it's elegant texture it is ideal to pair with white meats such as roasted fowl, stuffed quail with porcinis and foie gras, or veal confit. Perfect as well to enjoy with triple cream cheeses such as Brillat-Savarin or Chaource.
