2015 Volnay Clos des Ducs 1. Cru Marquis d'Angerville Magnum

The 2015 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs needed a little encouragement from the glass and even so, a small fug of reduction remained. However, underneath lay very intense blackberry and raspberry fruit mixed with orange sorbet and even a touch of honey. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. This has more grip and backbone than the other Volnays from d'Angerville, as one would expect given the vineyard, but it easily boasts the most precision on the finish. The class really shows through in this wine and the persistence is outstanding. I expect it to land at the top of my banded score once in bottle.

The 2015 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs from Domaine Marquis d'Angerville is a lovely rendition of this great wine, offering up a lovely bouquet of rose petal, red cherry, orange rind and raw cocoa. On the palate, the wine is full- bodied, ample and layered, with a deep core of concentrated and crunchy fruit, bright acids, and a long, tangy finish of wonderful purity. This is a great Clos des Ducs in the making. 2025 - 2050.

It's got some serious competition, but this is (just) the best d'Angerville wine in 2015. Sourced from a monopoly holding of 2.15 hectares on the slope above the village, it's entirely planted on marnes blanches soils. Rich, supple and sappy, with remarkable precision and purity. noble tannins and a fine, harmonious finish. 2025-35 .

Good medium ruby. Restrained but very pure scents of black fruits, licorice and cocoa powder. Compellingly silky and seamless wine, hinting at an almost chocolatey ripeness but extremely closed today. This extremely complex, refined wine shows more inner-mouth lift than the Champans and finishes with outstanding, slowly rising length, the utterly suave, glossy tannins arriving late. Like a millefeuille in its velvety texture, sweetness and crunchiness. Leaves the salivary glands humming.

Dark ruby-red but a bit less deeply colored than the Champans. Alluring, expressive aromas of black cherry, minerals, black pepper and spices. Enters with outstanding silky refinement, then shows uncommon saline energy in the mid- palate, with wonderfully tactile flavors of red and black fruits, spices, flowers and minerals. The stunning whiplash of a finish conveys pronounced soil-driven minerality, a sexy suggestion of torrefaction and great length. This wine and the Champans deliver a magical combination of silkiness, density and energy.

Black cherry, iron and spice flavors get support from a serious backbone of acidity and tannins. Starts out silky and ends firm, needing time to integrate. Stays fresh throughout. Best from 2023 through 2040. From France.- B.S.