2019 Volnay Champans 1. Cru Marquis d'Angerville

Clear mid red-purple. The bouquet at the moment is showing the funkier side of reduction, but this is temporary. What matters is the huge weight of the most delicious raspberry and strawberry fruit, ripe, but well balanced. A very exuberant Volnay Champans.

The 2019 Volnay Les Champans 1er Cru follows the Taillepieds and maybe it should have been the other way round since this is much more closed and broody. Earthy red berry fruit, touches of truffle and bay eventually emerge from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with solid backbone, not the most elegant Champans as there is a bit of grip and sinew on the finish. But because of that I suspect it will age extremely well. Keep a cellar handy.

92-94+: The 2019 Volnay 1er Cru Champans is another wine that's brighter and more refined than its 2018 counterpart, offering up pretty aromas of plums, sweet red berries and peonies, framed by a deft application of creamy oak. Medium to full-bodied, bright and lively, it's unusually fine-boned and refined for what is often one of the more muscular wines in the cellar.

At just under 4ha, this is the largest holding for the domaine, located in a perfect mid-slope position. The additional ripeness afforded by this privileged location gives the wine an almost lush character on the nose, with dark fruit and an almost chocolaty richness. The texture is expressive and velvety, and there is a bit more heft here than in the Clos des Ducs, although it is not lacking in delicacy by any means.