The brilliant 2018 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes offers up an incipiently complex bouquet of dark berry fruit, orange rind, plums, woodsmoke, dark chocolate and rich soil tones. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, reserved and muscular, with excellent depth and concentration, structured around an ample endowment of powdery tannin and succulent acids. The finish is long and nicely defined. As is almost invariably the case, this is a serious wine for the long haul, and it numbers among the wines of the vintage in the Côte de Beaune.

The 2018 Volnay Clos des Chênes 1er Cru is superior on the nose in this flight, exhibiting polished but delineated black and red fruit, assiduously integrated oak and a sense of terroir expression. The palate is medium-bodied with a spicy opening, erring slightly towards the floral personality of Syrah. Indeed, it has quite a muscular, dense finish that detracts from its potential finesse. Not bad at all - time will temper it. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.