2019 Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Volnay Premier Cru, Les Santenots du Milieu

The 2019 Volnay Les Santenots-du-Milieu 1er Cru, matured in a little more new oak than the Clos des Chênes (around one-third, according to Lafon), offers a quintessential Santenots nose of almost brazen blueberry and cassis aromas mixed with raspberry and violets. The palate is rounded on the entry and exerts a gentle grip. Opulent but controlled, though this year I find more nuance and sensuality on the Champans, which would be my pick of Lafon’s reds. 

Aromas of plums, wild berries, rose petals, warm spices and raw cocoa introduce Lafon's 2019 Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots-du-Milieu, a medium to full-bodied, bright and precise wine that's layered and concentrated, with an elegant, refined profile that's finer-boned than its more muscular 2018 predecessor. This is very promising.

They have 3.9 of the 8 ha of the climat. One-third new oak. Cask sample. Finesse and lift. Very different from the Champans. Polish and even delicacy. Lots of bite on the end. Though a more representative sample with one-third new oak was less ethereal at this juncture … (JR)