I rarely venture into Burgundy due to my lack of knowledge and budget. But I found this for $40, dusty but stored on its side. Given the age I decided to take the risk. Enjoyed over the course of the evening. The first sip was off, but I ran everything else through the Vinturi and it was off to the races. Full, welcoming nose was nice. But swirl it around in the glass and a terrific wet mushroom funkiness really comes alive. Excellent! I get a hint of prune on the palate. Finish is just a touch sour. Cool mouthfeel, even at room temperature. (First glass was around 65 degrees when I brought it up from the basement.) Tannins are soft but present, circling back to the front of my mouth, but never gritty. Still has a year or two of life. Would rebuy if I can find it again.
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2005 Joseph Drouhin Volnay. I have heard Volnay sometimes described as “poor man’s Chambolle-Musigny,” but I always find it stands perfectly well on its own two feet. This is a lovely village wine, punching a bit above its weight. Loads of red fruit leaps from the glass, red cherries, raspberries, strawberry preserves, even some cranberry, with some violets and rose to round it out. In the mouth, very smooth with fully resolved soft tannins, and just a bit of some blacker cherries, sour cherries and a touch of black pepper to add nuance to all that redness. An elegant easy drinker, very satisfying indeed.
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Drunk this while waiting for some other burgs to decanter, and turned out this needed more time than those other wines. On opening, super tight, took 3+ hours to open. Needs many many more years, but for a village wine, decent structure, a little chewy, notes of earth, black fruit.
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Surprising soapy aroma at first. Became less prominent but did not dissipate. Palate was a nice surprise...elegant, rich, balanced. Wonder if this will improve or not?
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This was a nice surprise. Pretty nose. Easy drink. I enjoyed this. Not a big wine by any standars. But a surprisingly good village wine. I assume the vintage has helped this a lot. I think this is ready to drink now. It will last for 5 years but not sure it will be any better.
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Mostly agree with vegansoenophile. Nose is soft but pretty, body is light and the palate is pleasing. What it lacks in definition, it more than makes up for it in finesse and balance. It won't get better from here but a nicely made wine now so drink up.
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Lots of cinnamon on the nose with white pepper, red plum skin and red fruit. Sexy wine on the palate, with lovely texture. White pepper, cinnamon, spice and red raspberry and strawberry fruit. Nice wine.
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Unexpectedly big and lush, oozing ripe dark cherry fruit, nice balancing acidity, some ultra-fine tannins. I would guess this as California every day of the year. Ready to go, and unclear if there is a lot of upside potential.
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Nose of bright fruit and earth with a bit of mineral. In the mouth it was thin and not impressive. A medium finish but I think this has reached its peak and is starting its descent. Drink up.
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Very light in color and in body. Did not meet expectations as it was a very one dimensional wine seemingly lacking decent structure. Maybe a bad bottle?
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I was prepared to not like this wine, based on the all-over-the-place reviews I read on cellartracker. After the first two sips, I was concerned it was going to be a thin supermarket-styled villages effort. But it just kept growing and growing steadily throughout the evening, emerging into a very solid and typical Volnay, with excellent depth and character. Those last few sips three hours later resembled very little from the first couple tastes after it was popped and poured. Another 2005 Volnay success!
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Fairly dark in color, with an appealing crushed fruit nose, followed by some nice medium darker cherry fruit, some earth and mineral, some fine tannins, and good acidity for balance. This could probably use a few more years to soften and mellow, but the depth of fruit isn't really there for a particularly long life. Very reminiscent of the Copain Tous Ensemble Pinot, the Burgundians seem to be learning how to do things right ;)
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nice, fruity burgundy. this was on the brighter side, with red berry fruit leaning towards the strawberry side, not as dark as i typically prefer. shortish finish. nice wine, but nothing special
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Above average villages wine from a nice vintage. Tight at first with thin edges. Finally opened up into something silkier after 3 hours. Decent complexity along the way. If stored temp controlled like mine, I'd give this another 12 months. Not great QPR, but not a big dissapointment either.
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A Couple of '05 Cote de Beaunes (Vin Vino, Palo Alto): Medium center with lighter edges. Tangy raspberry nose (think Chambolle). Light on its feet due to great acidity, some tannins, and a long earthy finish. Very Volnay and very Drouhin in style. Tremendous example of village Volnay. I liked this a lot.
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Elegant, with loads of depth to the strawberry fruit. The fruit is so in your face, but there's no sweetness ala Cali pinots. Loads of cinnamon and clove spices, just a killer villages.
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11/27/2022 - senesd Likes this wine: 89 Points
good. color no. browning started with berry nose and then 1 hour later more cheery. nice earthy finish
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7/18/2020 - CHINACAT wrote: 90 Points
Ripe dark cherries, some earth and metal, elegant, with plenty of remaining structure. Shows no sign of fading. Very good village Volnay.
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10/14/2019 - RN wrote: 90 Points
Needs decanting. Smooths out. Lovely perfumed nose. Gets v good complexity for a village wine from volnay.
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1/12/2019 - ptaylor2112 Likes this wine:
I rarely venture into Burgundy due to my lack of knowledge and budget. But I found this for $40, dusty but stored on its side. Given the age I decided to take the risk. Enjoyed over the course of the evening. The first sip was off, but I ran everything else through the Vinturi and it was off to the races. Full, welcoming nose was nice. But swirl it around in the glass and a terrific wet mushroom funkiness really comes alive. Excellent! I get a hint of prune on the palate. Finish is just a touch sour. Cool mouthfeel, even at room temperature. (First glass was around 65 degrees when I brought it up from the basement.) Tannins are soft but present, circling back to the front of my mouth, but never gritty. Still has a year or two of life. Would rebuy if I can find it again.
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9/17/2018 - ASG24 wrote:
2005 Joseph Drouhin Volnay. I have heard Volnay sometimes described as “poor man’s Chambolle-Musigny,” but I always find it stands perfectly well on its own two feet. This is a lovely village wine, punching a bit above its weight. Loads of red fruit leaps from the glass, red cherries, raspberries, strawberry preserves, even some cranberry, with some violets and rose to round it out. In the mouth, very smooth with fully resolved soft tannins, and just a bit of some blacker cherries, sour cherries and a touch of black pepper to add nuance to all that redness. An elegant easy drinker, very satisfying indeed.
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11/20/2016 - TheThirstyYau Likes this wine: 88 Points
Drunk this while waiting for some other burgs to decanter, and turned out this needed more time than those other wines. On opening, super tight, took 3+ hours to open. Needs many many more years, but for a village wine, decent structure, a little chewy, notes of earth, black fruit.
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11/1/2014 - Sixchips600 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good structure, focused, linear. Starting to show maturity and starting to drink well.
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8/2/2014 - Sixchips600 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Surprising soapy aroma at first. Became less prominent but did not dissipate. Palate was a nice surprise...elegant, rich, balanced. Wonder if this will improve or not?
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2/9/2014 - ljl203 wrote:
Just a great everyday table wine. Very light and thin, but well integrated sour cherry, light wood, plum skin.
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10/14/2013 - dansamsoe Likes this wine:
This was a nice surprise. Pretty nose. Easy drink. I enjoyed this. Not a big wine by any standars. But a surprisingly good village wine. I assume the vintage has helped this a lot. I think this is ready to drink now. It will last for 5 years but not sure it will be any better.
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10/4/2013 - dkstar1 wrote: 88 Points
Mostly agree with vegansoenophile. Nose is soft but pretty, body is light and the palate is pleasing. What it lacks in definition, it more than makes up for it in finesse and balance. It won't get better from here but a nicely made wine now so drink up.
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3/9/2013 - vegasoenophile Likes this wine: 90 Points
Lots of cinnamon on the nose with white pepper, red plum skin and red fruit. Sexy wine on the palate, with lovely texture. White pepper, cinnamon, spice and red raspberry and strawberry fruit. Nice wine.
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4/26/2012 - alanr wrote: 88 Points
Unexpectedly big and lush, oozing ripe dark cherry fruit, nice balancing acidity, some ultra-fine tannins. I would guess this as California every day of the year. Ready to go, and unclear if there is a lot of upside potential.
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2/3/2011 - CabIsKing wrote: 88 Points
Nose of bright fruit and earth with a bit of mineral. In the mouth it was thin and not impressive. A medium finish but I think this has reached its peak and is starting its descent. Drink up.
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2/2/2011 - miller3324 wrote:
Very light in color and in body. Did not meet expectations as it was a very one dimensional wine seemingly lacking decent structure. Maybe a bad bottle?
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12/9/2010 - JimHow wrote: 89 Points
I was prepared to not like this wine, based on the all-over-the-place reviews I read on cellartracker. After the first two sips, I was concerned it was going to be a thin supermarket-styled villages effort. But it just kept growing and growing steadily throughout the evening, emerging into a very solid and typical Volnay, with excellent depth and character. Those last few sips three hours later resembled very little from the first couple tastes after it was popped and poured. Another 2005 Volnay success!
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10/30/2010 - Winebof wrote: 83 Points
Thin, acidic, tart, and an unbelievable waste of money. Rated the wine an 83...but would be a 50 on the QPR scale.
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7/11/2010 - alanr Likes this wine: 87 Points
Fairly dark in color, with an appealing crushed fruit nose, followed by some nice medium darker cherry fruit, some earth and mineral, some fine tannins, and good acidity for balance. This could probably use a few more years to soften and mellow, but the depth of fruit isn't really there for a particularly long life. Very reminiscent of the Copain Tous Ensemble Pinot, the Burgundians seem to be learning how to do things right ;)
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5/21/2010 - Operations wrote: 89 Points
Ready for drinking. Decent balance, nice initial palate, decent finish, mid-range a bit weak. A little surprised at its advancement.
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12/30/2009 - ews3 wrote: 88 Points
nice, fruity burgundy. this was on the brighter side, with red berry fruit leaning towards the strawberry side, not as dark as i typically prefer. shortish finish. nice wine, but nothing special
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11/25/2009 - Winebof wrote: 87 Points
Above average villages wine from a nice vintage. Tight at first with thin edges. Finally opened up into something silkier after 3 hours. Decent complexity along the way. If stored temp controlled like mine, I'd give this another 12 months. Not great QPR, but not a big dissapointment either.
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3/2/2009 - spacewrangler wrote: 90 Points
Great depth for a villages wine.
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12/13/2008 - drwine2001 wrote:
A Couple of '05 Cote de Beaunes (Vin Vino, Palo Alto): Medium center with lighter edges. Tangy raspberry nose (think Chambolle). Light on its feet due to great acidity, some tannins, and a long earthy finish. Very Volnay and very Drouhin in style. Tremendous example of village Volnay. I liked this a lot.
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12/7/2008 - spacewrangler wrote: 91 Points
Elegant, with loads of depth to the strawberry fruit. The fruit is so in your face, but there's no sweetness ala Cali pinots. Loads of cinnamon and clove spices, just a killer villages.
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4/6/2008 - pinotluvr wrote: 84 Points
Not at all impressed.
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3/30/2008 - ckcorrea wrote:
underwhelming
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8/13/2007 - daniellobo wrote: 89 Points
Good and fresh flavours, strawberry, some cherry and even a hint of floral. Elegant but still a little bit tanic.
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