Volnay Champans 1er Cru

Beef Wellington, roast duck.

The wines of Volnay are famous for their great finesse. The name of the climat "Les Champans" is derived the fact that this plot is fairly steep - which means good sun exposure and thus good ripening. The soil has more clay than limestone, and produces firm wines with silky tannin.

Duration of barrel ageing : 17 months

The grapes were handpicked into small crates, then sorted and totally destemmed. The wine stayed on the skins for 18 days in temperature-controlled open oak vats. Pigeage (punching down the cap) was done twice a day during alcoholic fermentation. 100% malolactic fermentation. Entirely aged in oak barrels.

For years Domaine Jacques Prieur was in a slow and seemingly terminal decline with quantity rather than quality being the byword. The guardian angel arrived in the form of Mercurey-based négociants Antonin Rodet in the late 1980s. Rodet's oenologist Nadine Gublin has been the driving force behind the renaissance in quality which now rivals the very finest producers on the Côte. The Domaine is today owned 70% by the Labruyère family and 30% by the Prieurs.The roots of the revival lie in the vineyards where fewer pesticides and herbicides are being used and come harvest time there is now a far more rigid selection of the best fruit. The results are a revelation. They have an exceptional range of grand cru vineyards – including the grandest of the grand such as Montrachet Musigny and Chambertin. But perhaps because the domaine’s holdings are dispersed up and down the Côte that it has not enjoyed the first rate reputation that one might have expected. The wines are certainly good but perhaps just short of the flair which would place them in the very top division. There is a conscious decision to pick relatively late and make flamboyantly full-bodied wines.