Volnay a great Burgundy wine
Who has never heard of this wine village nestled in a hollow in the heart of the famous Côte de Beaune in Burgundy ?
Volnay is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée established in 1937, it covers a total area of 221 hectares (including 132 in Premier Cru).
Produces exclusively red wine from the Pinot Noir grape variety, since in 1395 Philippe Le Hardi Duc de Bourgogne banned the production of the Gamay grape variety and replaced it with Pinot Noir, reputed to be more qualitative and visibly more adapted to the climates of Burgundy.
In Burgundy, the different plots determine a regional, communal, premier cru and grand cru appellation according to their geographical location.
Hierarchy of appellations in Burgundy
In order to better navigate, its 83 appellations have been divided into 4 levels: 
- Grands Cru appellations
- Premiers cru appellations
- Communal appellations (villages)
- Regional names (sometimes called "generic" or "sub-regional")
Here is the hierarchy of appellations for Volnay:
- Volnay premier cru
- Volnay premier cru + name of the original climate
- Volnay + name of the original climate
There is no Volnay grand cru. Here is the list of the 29 climates (localities) classified as premier cru:
- Carelle
- Champans
- Chanlin
- Clos de l'Audignac
- Clos de la Barre
- Clos de la Bousse d'Or
- Clos de la Cave des Ducs
- Clos de la Chapelle
- Clos de la Rougeotte
- Clos des Chênes
- Clos des Ducs
- Clos du Château des Ducs
- Clos du Verseuil
- In Chevret
- Frémiets
- Frémiets-Clos de la Rougeotte
- The Gigotte
- Lassolle
- The Ronceret
- The Village
- The Angles
- The Mists
- The Caillerets
- Les Caillerets-Clos des 60 Ouvrées
- The Lurets
- Mitans
- Pitures-Dessus
- Robardelle
- Size Feet
=> This list does not include Volnay Santenots premier crus, produced in red.
They are located in the commune of Meursault-Volnay.The whites of Santenots take the appellations Meursault / Meursault Premier Cru and the reds take the appellations Volnay the Santenots Premier Cru (the Santenots du Milieu, the Santenots Dessous).
Soil
The Volnay appellation is located between 230 and 280 meters above sea level, facing south-east in the heart of the Côte de Beaune on the slopes of an embankment hollowed out by a small closed comb.
– 2 degrés ce matin à Volnay avec François Bitouzet dans les Aussy Volnay 1er cru #vin#Bourgogne @BLProds pic.twitter.com/f9USaMD7i5
— Bourgogne Live (@BourgogneLive) January 23, 2020
The vines benefit from an oceanic climate with semi-continental influence. The soil is well drained, consisting of thin flat stones, limestone marls and clay-limestone scree.
On the top of the hillside, village appellation, a strong limestone land. Then going down the slope, a white Argovian limestone, very light and chalky in appearance, gives excellent premier crus. Further down, the Bathonian limestone is stony, ferruginous, reddish. The foothills are made of deeper and gravelly soils.
=> The 29 hectares of vines located on Meursault, are steeply sloping on a marl-limestone terroir from the Oxfordian (Upper Jurassic) to red clays.
Below is an overview of the beautiful harvest of Volnay :
Let's go for the harvest in Volnay. The Georges Glantenay estate unsheathed the pruning shears this Monday morning. That's six days earlier than the 2003 vintage! #volnay pic.twitter.com/Llx3YcWzbV #vendanges #vendanges #bourgogne
— Thibault Simonnet (@ThibBPBeaune) August 17, 2020
Tasting
The red wines of Volnay are famous for their delicacy, much appreciated by women!
We immediately recognize this appellation by its light color, from the tender vermeil to the deepest ruby. On the nose, a delicate bouquet of red and black fruits (raspberry, currant, cherry, blackberry, …), flowery aromas (violet, rose, …), with age the spices and the cooked prune are revealed . On the palate an incredible finesse , complexity and remarkable elegance , from soft tannins to the most robust with a beautiful roundness.
Can be drunk in their youth as well as after a few years of guarding, between 4 to 8 years generally, a service temperature between 14 and 16 ° C. Ideal with white meats (poultry, filet mignon, …), roast duck, grilled meats, cheeses with sweet flavors.
After several years of aging for a Volnay Premier Cru, roasted or just braised game is the ideal match.
For lovers of great vintages, Volnay Les Caillerets will be perfect! This appellation has all the sought-after qualities of a great wine : airy, all in finesse, floral and elegant, with silky tannins.
As the nineteenth century proverb says: "Whoever has no vines in Les Caillerets does not know what the Vollenay is worth".
Small anecdote = > Louis XI, the minister Colbert and the Burgundian intendant Claude Bouchu of Louis XIV, Bossuet or Thomas Jefferson, were great admirers of this red wine of Burgundy.
Interested in these very pretty wines? BuyVolnay wines online
