April 7, 2019 - Savory and meaty but what could be a nice cocoa dusting takes a mildly unappealing roundness, almost like an algae note.
March 28, 2019 - Bourgogne 2002 tasting. Many top wines from some of the best producers, Rousseau, Roumier, DRC, Leroy etc; 3/28/2019-4/28/2019 (Restaurant Palægade, Copenhagen): Supposedly the lesser wine paired against three grand crus, but it was only the Clos des Lambrays that exceeded it in quality. A little bit tight, with licorice and darker fruit elements, but good balance. A food wine at this point, but a very good showing indeed.
November 16, 2018 - Either a better bottle than last year or this is on the way up. A few hours of decanting gave us a really funky and interesting wine. A little rough and rustic but sexy, complex, and wonderfully savory. Still say -2022.
July 1, 2017 - Wonderfully versatile with a nice--if brief--surge. Middle-aged but lacking a little in fruit considering how much structure remains.
November 5, 2015 - Nose: There is a distinct sour cherry note right off the bat along with earth tones, raspberries, violets, spices, and a touch of leather. There is excellent depth and balance that really draws you in.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and silky tannins. The feel is refined with sour cherries, raspberries, violets, and earth tones.
Overall: This is a lovely Volnay. It took a few hours to fully get going, but it was quite pretty and refined once it opened up.
August 30, 2015 - When opened and double decanted, a typical Volnay red apple peel profile with some underlying mineral and earth. But an hour and a half later, this started to blossom - denser, plusher fruit, everything better integrated into a rounder wine. Accents of game and sous-bois. A more sophisticated bottle altogether.
February 23, 2014 - Drinking very well. No detailed notes, but interesting nose, excellent palate with food, very clean finish. Great with food, great alone. Has good balance now, tannins resolved. Not clear to me how much more upside there is.
September 25, 2013 - Strong dark red. Dark red fruits, spice and metal on the nose. The dark red fruits splashes across the palate with some truffles, forest floor and, as eharkins notes, "rusty iron." The wine is dense with some sweet sappiness balanced by tongue coating tannins and good acidity. An elegant but somewhat rustic wine. It definitely held my interest and is a wine that speaks of place but it was was a bit lacking in the pleasure category. Not great QPR but a good wine and I do not feel like I made a mistake at $60 as a library release (wish I paid half that on release but I have many, many regrets in life. This one does not weigh heavily)
September 23, 2013 - Not a good value.
September 15, 2013 - Real pity considering how enjoyed the others