2003 Domaine Michel Lafarge, Volnay “Clos des Chênes” Premier Cru Red Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, France.
This wine absolutely surprises for its freshness and elegance, coming from an extremely hot year, and has aged beautifully, proving terroir and commitment to working with nature can overcome some of the effects of a difficult year. I have always admired Lafarge, but this 2003 Clos des Chênes really impressed me with its mature color, aromas and silky black cherry, red berry and plum fruited rich palate of flavors and the precision of the crisp details, dried rose petal florals, tea spices, sassafras, mineral tones, acidity and subtly of wood framing. Tis beautifully drinking and textural Burgundy comes from a walled vineyard, situated at the intersection of the best Premiers in Volnay, where Clos des Chênes, Les Caillerets, Taille Pieds, and En Champans sit. The plots are on mainly a south-facing slope, with a shallow covering of small stones, gravel and loose dirt with classic red clay over limestone soils. These highly sought after Lafarge wines are the pride of the Côte de Beaune, and especially Volnay, it is a tough get these days to find this Clos des Chênes, so I was thrilled to get a chance to try one, with age, and I’m again grateful for my friend Alex Lallos of No Limit Fine Wine, who shared this one. Just beginning to show a gentle brick on the edges, this wine is still in great shape, but it is prime time to to enjoy it now, which I certainly did.
The Domaine Michel Lafarge, based in Volnay since the late 1950s, in the Côte de Beaune, is one of Burgundy’s most desirable and most sought after producers, with some incredible prime parcels that are all farmed with biodynamic practices, including the legendary Clos du Château des Ducs monopole and the Clos des Chênes, seen here. The classic vinification at Domaine Michel Lafarge for the reds, made from Pinot Noir, is done using 100% de-stemmed grapes, with a 2-3-week ambient yeast fermentation, that sees daily punch-downs and pump-overs, then the wines are aged for 12-18 months in barrels (maximum 25% new), and bottled with no fining, unfiltered. For this wine, the Clos des Chênes, and its vines that were planted between 1951 and 1971, a full 18 months was the elevage and less new wood was employed, with about 10% used here in this vintage, which has allowed the wine to display its purity of form and sense of place. Over the years, I’ve had to satisfy myself on the lesser wines of the Domaine Michel Lafarge lineup, which are still fabulous wines, including the Aligoté, which has a cult like following and the Bourgogne Passetoutgrain l’Exception, a unique blend of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Gamay Noir, a wine I always try to grab if seen. Michel, who’s well into his 80s now and his son Frédéric continue to bring attention to the greatness of Volnay, and make bucket list wines!
($225-650 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive