The 2017 Volnay Les Mitans 1er Cru, which has a little whole bunch fruit, has a more open and expressive bouquet compared to the Les Pitures. Scents of bright red cherries mingle with strawberry and damp moss-like notes. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy, quite bold tannin, earthy and masculine with a classic, slightly marine-like finish, a tang of oyster shell on the aftertaste. Superb.

Wafting from the glass with aromas of plummy fruit, raw cocoa and rich soil tones, the 2017 Volnay 1er Cru Mitans is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a deep, gourmand core of fruit that shows good concentration for the vintage and juicy balancing acids, concluding with a long, expansive finish.

Barrel sample of final blend. 15% new oak. ‘The most elegant and distinguished and opens first of all the premiers crus. Very Volnay’, says Frédéric Lafarge. Delicate and sweet-fruited on the nose. Charming and elegant. Sweet and succulent on the palate, yielding its charms and with silky tannins. Gentle but not wimpy thanks to the energy at its heart. (JH)