2017 Volnay, Clos des Chênes, 1er Cru, Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur, Burgundy

With little less structure and a touch more silk than the Taillepieds, this is an excellent example of suave and sophisticated Volnay from this prime site. The nose is somewhat closed, but the palate is resplendent with rich red berries, silky, caressing tannins and a crisp, precise, lingering finish. Drink 2023-2030. 

François is keen to highlight the importance of the solidarity shown by the Côte’s vignerons at the end of April, when everyone came together to burn dampened bales and create cloud cover to ward off the frost. Without such action this could well have been another catastrophic yield. Having avoided this threat, the rest of the season was fairly straightforward with careful vineyard management and harvest began on the 30th August. He feels the whites are a mix of 2015 and 2014, while the reds are pretty and will drink well from an early age.