VOLNAY PREMIER CRU COLLECTION
If you’re a Burgundy lover, Volnay should already be on your radar—but these four bottles might just raise your expectations entirely. Volnay has long delivered a signature mix of bright red fruit, floral aromatics, and graceful elegance. While often mistaken blind for Chambolle-Musigny, Volnay brings an added layer of grit and rustic soul—a nod to the rocky soils of the Côte de Beaune.
Here are four wines that exemplify why we love this village so much. From collector legends to insider favorites, these are wines with both beauty and backbone.
One of the oldest cuvées in the Bouchard lineup and, in my opinion, one of the finest. When we offered this earlier in the year, the response was overwhelming, and for good reason. It is an absolute knockout. While doing some inventory, I noticed there are 18 bottles still available. The wine will be in stock in 10 days, if you missed it the first time around, now is a great moment to add some to your cellar. You will be glad you did. Like Burghound said “Buy It”
Here too there is a liqueur-like quality to the black cherry aromas that are nuanced by floral and spice hints. The caressing yet intense and beautifully detailed middleweight flavors brim with both minerality and dry extract that carry over to the dusty, moderately austere and affirmatively built-to-age finish. This is one exceptionally classy wine, indeed the mouthfeel is pure silk. Buy it.
- Burghound, 92-95 Sweet Spot Outstanding!
The 2022 Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot is showing especially well, bursting with aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with spices, rose petals and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, it's pure and ethereal, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a long, saline finish .
- William Kelley, 92-94
This wine might be considered a bit of a sleeper. I have been quietly championing it for the past five or six years, and with good reason. Clos des Chênes is one of Volnay’s top sites, and François Bitouzet’s work, both in the vineyards and in his modernized cuverie, has been outstanding. Another plus is that this vintage comes in at roughly twenty percent below last year’s price, offering excellent value.
Pretty, fresh and ripe aromas of purple fruit, violet and plenty of spice nuances lead to intense if not as concentrated medium weight flavors that flash impressive power on the very firm, youthfully austere and built-to-age finale. Like several wines in the range, this is definitely built to repay extended cellaring.
- Burghound, 90-92
This wine has grown on me over time. Boillot is of course known for producing world-class whites, and that continues to be the case. But in recent vintages, the reds, and particularly the Caillerets, have shown a remarkable evolution. They have become more refined, more precise, and more expressive. When a producer works with a great site like Caillerets, exceptional results should not be a surprise. I highly recommend reading the review on this one—it is well worth your attention.
Exuberantly spicy and ripe yet cool aromas are composed by notes of plum, dark raspberry and cassis. Once again there is fine volume to the caressing and gorgeously textured but very punchy medium weight flavors that conclude in a firm, dusty, complex and hugely persistent finish. This is exceptionally classy but altogether serious and if you can find it, buy it.
- Burghound 94
A wine that truly needs no introduction. This is one of the most iconic expressions of Volnay. Year after year, it delivers a unique blend of power and finesse, with an elegance that never feels forced. The Santenots vineyard, located in Meursault but classified for red wines under Volnay, gives this wine its distinctive depth and structure. You can expect layers of dark cherry, violet, and spice, all framed by perfectly integrated tannins and just the right amount of lift on the finish. The 2022 vintage continues this legacy beautifully. It is poised, vibrant, and already showing signs of greatness. For collectors and Burgundy lovers alike, this is a wine to secure while you can.
Slightly riper and markedly spicier aromas of poached plum, dark currant and a suggestion of earth enjoy a variety of floral influences and in particular violet. There is excellent volume and better mid-palate density to the focused and powerful larger-bodied flavors that conclude in a compact, serious and bult-to-age finale. This is impressive and wine that should age gracefully over the next 20 years. Strongly worth considering.
- Burghound, 92-95 Sweet Spot Outstanding!
