VOLNAY 1er crû Clos de la Bousse d'Or AMPHORE Pousse d'Or 2020

Appellation : Premier Cru, clos, monopole

Superficie : 2.13 hectares

Situation : Parcelle ceinturée d'un mur de pierre et plantée sous la mairie de Volnay.

Orientation : Est

Sol : Sous-sol composé de marnes calcaires argoviennes, avec, à certains endroits, des éboulis argilo-calcaires du Bathonien.

Cépage : 100% Pinot Noir

Années de plantation : 24% en 1958, 16% en 1967, 19% en 1970, 21% en 1974, et 20% en 1991.

Vignoble : Les vignes sont cultivées sans pesticide ni insecticide, et l'unique apport, la fumure, est d'origine naturelle. La terre est travaillée, sans désherbant, pour maintenir l'aération ainsi que la souplesse du sol.

Vinification : Vendange manuelle en caissettes, triée en cuverie, éraflée à 100 %. Macération à froid pendant 7 jours, régulation de la température de fermentation, deux pigeages par jour, cuvaison pendant 21 jours.

Élevage : Sur lie en fûts de chêne (30% neufs) pendant 15 mois, fermentation malolactique naturelle et tardive, sans collage ni filtration, soutirage et mise en bouteille par gravité.

Dégustation : Robe sombre rubis foncé, nez très riche de fruits noirs, complété par un boisé élégant ; bouche grasse avec une complexité aromatique, des tanins fermes sans dureté ; vin d'une grande classe et de longue garde.

BURGHOUND : 90-92

2020 Volnay “Clos de la Bousse d’Or – Amphore”: This is also aromatically cool but ripe and spicy though in this case the red and dark raspberry scents are notably more floral in character. The delicious, intense and well-detailed lighter weight flavors possess a succulent mid-palate that contrasts with the moderately austere and quite firm finale where a touch of sweetness gradually emerges. (90-92)/2030+ 

Benoît Landanger, who has assumed the direction of this domaine and has converted it to biodynamic farming principles, briefly noted that “like 2019, we were again blessed with excellent raw materials as the fruit was ripe, clean and remarkably well balanced between sugar, acid and tannin levels. We picked from the 25th of August and brought in low-ish yields of 25 to 30 hl/ha that were still better than the 20 to 25 hl/ha that we realized in 2019. Potential alcohols were reasonable as they ranged from 13.2 to 13.5%, which is slightly lower than what we obtained last year. The vinifications were easy and overall, I’m very happy with the quality as well as the aging potential. In fact, 2020 is vintage that I would gladly take anytime with the sole proviso of having a bit more volume!” Once again, I had a chance to taste three wines that were vinified exactly the same as the regular cuvées but were raised in amphora; this is to say the En Caillerets, Clos de la Bousse d’Or and the Clos des 60 Ouvrées vineyards. I note these using the term amphore in the reviews, but the actual terminology found on the label reads “Vinifié et Élevé en Amphore”