2019 Domaine Michel Lafarge, Volnay Premier Cru, Les Mitans

The 2019 Volnay Les Mitans 1er Cru has a similar nose to the Les Pitures with just a little more amplitude. Lovely lilting red cherry and touches of blue fruit here, maybe just a slither of blood orange. The palate is sappy on the entry with fine acidity cutting through the red berry fruit, with touches of sous-bois developing towards the refined finish. 'Tis a little more compact than other cuvées at the moment but it will surely blossom in bottle.

Lafarge's 2019 Volnay 1er Cru Mitans is very promising, unfurling with notions of sweet red berries, plums, loamy soil, raw cocoa and petals. Medium to full-bodied, bright and tightly wound, with fine depth at the core, tangy acids and youthfully chalky tannins, it's a cuvée that's built to age.

Brown soils (no iron) with lots of pebbles. Mitans is meant to be stereotypical Volnay. Cask sample. Light and fresh. Almost floral and wonderfully round and easy. Lifted and transparent with a hint of cassis. (JR)