The 2009 Volnay Clos des Chenes is a delicate, perfumed wine graced with weightless, translucent fruit. Dark red berries, plums, spices and cedar linger on the effortless, long finish. Drouhin used 10-15% whole clusters here. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2024. Drouhin farms 75 hectares of vineyards according to biodynamic principles. Maceration and fermentation lasts about three weeks. The wines are then racked into oak in a cold part of the cellar to slow down the malos, although in 2009 they were entirely done by December. The estate leaves the wines on their lees for several months with one racking, or two if needed, prior to being assembled for bottling. New oak ranges from 25% for the entry-level wines to 50-65% for the grand crus. Veronique Drouhin thinks the 2009s will stay open throughout their lives, much as the 1985s have. All of these 2009s were bottled between early December, 2010 and January, 2011. Importer: Dreyfus Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770

Elegant and rich, evoking cherry, currant and floral aromas and flavors. The tannins are integrated and support the fruit and flesh, with a lingering aftertaste of fruit, spice and mineral. Better than previously reviewed. Best from 2013 through 2020. 175 cases imported.??–BS??Region: France / Burgundy / Volnay Select to Add

From tank, the Drouhin domaine 2008 Volnay Clos des Chenes offers site-typical ginger and cinnamon spice in spades, along with fresh, tart-edged cherry and plum fruit. There is a bit of a tannic bite that along with the tartness and alkaline, chalky minerality makes for a brash and bracing finish. This bids fair to settle down a bit in bottle without losing energy, and I suspect it will be worth following for at least 6-8 years. “2008 was very slow in doing its malolactic – which was good, and ended up with a pretty lively impression of acidity” remarked Veronique Boss-Drouhin, “and I think the wines will be slow to evolve in bottle, as well.” Numerous cuvees were still in tank or barrel when I visited in March, which constitutes an unusually late schedule at this address. The 2007s, by contrast, were bottled even earlier than normal, most at age 12 months. In 2008, a 15-25% share of stems and whole clusters was included in the fermenting vat for the Clos des Mouches and for most of the Drouhin grand crus, whereas in 2007 that degree of vendange entier was practically the rule across the entire Drouhin range (by no means all of which I tasted). Importer: Dreyfus-Ashby & Co., New York, NY; tel. (212) 818-0770