2005 Nicolas Potel, Volnay Premier Cru, Champans

Good deep red-ruby. Pure, expressive aromas of black cherry, blackberry, flowers and spices; this one has real lift. Juicy, intense and sharply delineated, with a sappy quality to the fruit. Big, palate-saturating wine with lovely purity and density of texture. Finishes very long, with sweet, broad tannins that spread out to coat the palate. A superb Volnay in the making.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 29/06/2007 2005 Volnay Champans offers a riveting aroma of kirsch and blackberry, vanilla, and brown spices, a chewy, dense palate with underlying smoked meats, chalk, and mineral salts, and a long, meat-and-mineral dominated finish. Like Potel’s other Volnay crus, this impressively-concentrated Pinot begs to be cellared for at least 6-8 years, whereas the corresponding Beaune crus – although they may be equally ageworthy – are more generous. Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700.