Question: Why are winemakers using more used oak barrels instead of new ones?

Answer: Many reasons possible. The current winemaking trend seems to be towards showing more fruit & distinctive terroir from the vineyard in your wine and less prominent intense oak from new barrels. Also larger size casks are in increased use for the same reason resulting in more wine to oak ratio. Also remember that new oak is very expensive so there is a cost saving issue as well in using less new. Actually after the new oak barrels have been used a few times they are called “neutral” retaining the advantage of allowing some oxygen exchange with the wine for texture but without any intrusive new oak flavours. Still you always have some top properties with concentrated powerful fruit using 100% new oak in those best vintages. Lots of other choices these days including stainless steel, concrete, amphora, etc. Interesting to monitor the difference in your tasting perceptions because of the amount of new oak barrels used in the winery.

Our Group of Eight Vancouver met for Event #105 featuring 9 Premier Cru wines from Volnay with a dinner on October 25, 2022 at Blue Water. Many of these previous special educational wine tasting-dinners have been documented over the years on this Blog. Also earlier references to Volnay including on October 26, 2015 here spotlighting the wines of top producer Marquis D’Angerville. At that time your scribe stated Volnay “epitomizes what I really admire in a pinot noir showing that seductive signature of fragrant delicate elegance. In my opinion the Volnay region still remains undervalued for the quality generally delivered.” That was a strong opinion expressed then that remains true today some 7 years later as confirmed by this tasting. Volnay is rather a small AC with the fuller Pommard on one side and vineyards of Monthelie & Meursault on the other. Like in Beaune & Pommard there are lots of Premier Cru vineyards but no Grand Cru. However the overall quality is high as shown by the fact 35 Premier Cru Volnay red cover 136.28 hectares more than the improving Village red Volnay at just under 100 (98.37). Some brief impressions:

Worth mentioning is the high quality though rather unknown old (1894) house Pascal Agrapart Champagne. From the classic 2012 vintage en bouteille May 2013 and disgorged February 2019 as Extra Brut (3 g/l dosage) it has choice upslope old Avize vineyards (Robarts & Gros Yeux) with deeper clay over chalk resulting in a powerful Avizoise Blanc de Blancs vinified and aged in 600 litre oak (demi-muids) that impresses so fresh, delicate, and complex. Highly recommended.

1) 2015 VOLNAY CLOS DE LA BARRE 1er Cru LOUIS JADOT This Monopole 1.32 hectare good drainage plot usually has structure with deep fruit but can be rather austere early on though 2015 is a riper vintage. Approachable.

2) 2009 VOLNAY LES SANTENOTS 1er Cru DOMAINE BERNARD & THIERRY GLANTENAY Also a hot vintage but small production of big ripe red fruits in an earthier spice style from a respected for aging south facing vineyard (but younger vines planted 1989 & 1997) actually in the Meursault commune. Simpler.

3) 2005 VOLNAY CLOS DE LA BARRE 1er Cru LOUIS JADOT A third ripe vintage in the first flight but a solidly balanced one with developing velvet textures. Patience rewarded but already delicious with Spaghetti Alio e Olio with Black Truffle.

4) 2017 VOLNAY LES CAILLERETS 1er Cru DOMAINE HENRI BOILLOT Youngest wine from a vineyard usually producing less fullness but lovely in combining fresh deep cherry & raspberry fruit with textbook delicate classy Volnay style. Structured, vibrant, impressive and the surprise of the night!

5) 2007 VOLNAY “SANTENOTS” LUCIEN LE MOINE Deep but ponderous. Reductive. Needed longer decanting? A bit cloudy. Not singing. Variable vintage with terrible Summer weather.

6) 2005 VOLNAY CAILLERETS 1er Cru ANCIENNE CUVEE CARNOT BOUCHARD Slightly smoky nose at first but cleared to sweet charming intensity -another impressive structured 2005 starting long plateau of lovely enjoyment.

7) 2005 VOLNAY CHEVRET 1er Cru DOMAINE NICOLAS ROSSIGNOL Third flight all have concentration with aromatic depth resulting from great vintages. This is slightly drier on the nose but still lots of generous fruit there with silky textures developing. Now or later. More dimensions with the spiced juicy flavours of the well-matched Pheasant course

8) 1999 VOLNAY-CHAMPANS 1er Cru LEROY A great expensive producer but those 1999 red Burgundy are always stellar. Rich fat plummy weightier style of Champans. Very impressive result indeed. Outstanding.

9) 1999 VOLNAY SANTENOTS-DU-MILIEU 1er Cru DOMAINE DES COMTES LAFON Sturdy like the Champans vineyard but very full rich depth almost lush from a vineyard that has an earned reputation for long successful aging. A very special vineyard in the Meursault commune approved as red Volnay. Another beauty from the 1999 vintage. Pure joy to monitor it going from strength to strength.

Our leader Ian Mottershead read some appropriate quotes from Stay Me With Flagons by Maurice Healy (close friend of our Founder Andre Simon) on “the greatest of them all” a miracle 1889 Volnay-Caillerets!

Certainly Volnay 1er Cru showed what it is capable of delivering here. Exceptional where the top vintages of 2005 & 1999 provide the extra fruit intensity to back that unique delicacy. Also in that surprising 2017. Recommend following Volnay more closely. You will be delightfully amazed.

Question: What is an amphora?

Answer: It is historically a vessel (usually made of clay and often shaped like a vase) used for holding wine. It has received a renewal particularly by the natural wine movement to the old natural way of making wine back in Greek & Roman times. Clay is porous like oak so does allow some oxygen but neutral (like stainless steel so no added flavours). Mixed results but some unique wines have been produced. Check them out.

Your scribe was invited to attend the celebratory intimate dinner at The Vancouver Club on October 12, 2022 following the Master Of Port Canada 2022 competition organized by Port and Douro Wines Institute (IVDP). They are global ambassadors for Port & Douro wines – a public government body overseen by the MInister of Agriculture in Portugal. It was great to have them in Canada to do their impressive Masters of Port competition. This difficult and highly competitive event resulted in a most worthy winner in good guy and most knowledgeable sommelier Leagh Barkley on top. Good celebratory photo! Vancouver Club is on a revitalized roll under new GM Tim Ellison with more focus on wine and food events. Good main course choice of Smoked Duck Breast with roasted squash & Brussels sprouts with the 3 Douro Tinto wines of 2019. All showed well but quite differently from “classy” nose of Leda to more leafy character of RP to clearly ripest pure fruit of Van Zellers. Fortunate to sit beside Manuel Lima DipWSET Quality Control of Port & Douro Wines at IVDP. Manuel advised that 2019 is not the best year for Vintage (2017 is better) but there are some very good Douro reds. Always fun to compare the dramatic difference in style between a seductive complex wood aged Tawny Port of 30 years (from Sandeman) with a fresh powerful concentrated Vintage Port (Taylor 2000). Both outstanding!

Question: What is the year of earliest Port harvest in the Douro Portugal

Answer: Surprise. Hot Douro weather in 2022 resulted in the earliest August harvest dates in their long history of production. Manuel Lima DipWSET Quality Control for Ports and Douro Wines Institute was in Vancouver last week for the Finals of the Masters of Port competition and confirmed this information to me. Lots of wine regions around the world experienced their earliest harvest dates in 2022. Fitou in the Languedoc reportedly started their harvest on July 24.