2016 Volnay Taillepieds 1. Cru Marquis d'Angerville

The vines date to the early 1970s, grown on marly soil above the usual clay-limestone. Dense fresh purple, more straightforward raspberry fruit with a touch of cherry. The palate offers a fresh linear thread, with real intensity behind.

(from a 1.07 ha parcel of 35+ year old vines). A restrained yet equally pure and even more complex nose only grudgingly reveals its aromas of both red and dark pinot fruit, spice, floral and discreet Asian-style tea nuances. The tighter and strikingly well-delineated flavors are even stonier while displaying a taut muscularity on the very serious if impeccably well-balanced finish. In a word, gorgeous. 2028+ .

Wild briar fruit, spice and game framed by new oak. Austere and powerful, with tensile tannins and a reserved, saline finish. Promising. Drink 2026-2045 .

Saturated ruby-red. Very ripe blueberry and dark chocolate aromas project an almost liqueur-like quality. Then dense and sappy in the mouth, conveying an impression of sound acidity (this is the lowest in pH among these 2016s at 3.3) but not quite the texture or early balance of the Caillerets. The intense flavors of dark berries, licorice and menthol are at once chocolatey and slightly medicinal. With its significant baby fat, this wine boasts outstanding volume for Taillepieds and may well require a decade in the cellar to approach its peak. The yield here was only about 25 hectoliters per hectare, a bit higher than the Caillerets.

aturated black cherry and blackberry fruit takes center stage in this dense yet balanced and graceful red, which is supple and vibrant, leaving a mouthwatering feel on the long, spicy aftertaste. Best from 2022 through 2038.