This was a little present from France

From me to me obviously. Cavon de Bacchus is a great place to go shopping when you are in Nuits. The hot tip from Burgundy is to buy Nuits as it is the bargain village of the important Cote, but we are on the other Cote tonight. I think the “lack of Grand Crus which would drag the price up”-effect that plagues Nuits to some extent is true with Pommard and Volnay. However, Pommard and Volnay are names which slip off the English tongue more easily than the odd ‘Nuits’, so might be purchased more readily. I’ve got a lot of Pommard (and also a lot of Nuits*) that I have considered screaming bargains.

With everything I’ve got in the flat at the moment I found myself selecting this as one of my least grand wines for popping at half-midnight. I’ll be drinking well over the next year.

Volnay 2005, Domaine Michel Lafarge

This is a nose of livid (positively incensed) cherry fruit. There is the very slightest hint of grassiness blended in with the fruit, like a raspberry leaf with raspberries, which reminds me a lot of other vintages of this wine I’ve tried. There is a degree of scale to the nose. Refined scale, for sure, but definite scale. There is a lively edge to the acidity on the palate, more raspberry leaf. The tannins are a tad on the severe side. Bums, I was hoping for something a tiny bit more lewd, but this is a very correct Volnay. Lafarge claims his role is to conduct the symphony of the vintage and harness than in his wine; there could be more soul in this symphony.

*I had a damned good bottle of Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Richemone from Alain Michelot at Restaurant La Cabotte in Nuits last week, lovely meal, lovely wine**.

**OK, my thoughts on Nuits to buy will be the next post.