Réyanne and Pascal BOULEY: 2013s from Cask and Bottle

Domaine Réyane et Pascal BOULEY (Volnay)

2013s from Cask and Bottle

This estate is located next to the church in downtown Volnay and has a total of 9 ha of vines spread over Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, Monthélie, and Saint-Romain (this last being in white, and a wine I don’t believe I’ve ever seen). Alas, just listing the villages tells you that the vines were in the heart of the hail territory. Overall, the estate did 1/3 a normal harvest; 2014 was but little better, being between a half and one-third of a normal harvest. As this was my first visit in Volnay on this trip, I was a little apprehensive, but what wine there is turned out to be fine, and indeed very good expressions of their respective terroirs. This estate is a very good source for Volnay and other nearby villages, especially as the best-known names in that region have become increasingly expensive.

Harvesting began here on 2 October. Grapes were entirely destemmed. Malolactic fermentations were quite late.

2013 Bourgogne rouge

From bottle, this wine comes from vines located on both sides of the route nationale. The nose features fresh, dark Pinot Noir fruit. The mouth is pure and fresh with good acidity and elegance. 87/A-

2013 Monthélie  Aux Fournereaux

This climat is on the southern slope of Monthélie, just below the premier cru portion of the Les Clous vineyard. It features fresh fruit in the nose and mouth, especially dark plums, and should be quite approachable early. (86-89)

2013 Monthélie 1er Cru – Les Clous

This wine has more structure and acidity and is a bit redder in its fruit than the Aux Fournereaux. It is light and fine, but will need more time than the Aux Fournereaux to develop. (86-90)

2013 Volnay

The village Volnay has red berry fruit and is smooth with finesse, elegance, and good acidity. It is a very good example of what people expect from Volnay. (87-90)

2013 Pommard

The Pommard is a bit darker than the Volnay in its fruit. The acidity seems high, but not sharp. However, this wine is perhaps not quite as pure as the others. (86-89)

2013 Volnay 1er Cru – Les Robardelles

The nose here is floral. The mouth is pure, precise, and almost crystalline with red and dark berry fruit and overall finesse. This is an excellent effort. (89-93)

2013 Volnay 1er Cru – Le Ronceret

This wine shows finesse similar to that of the Robardelles, but is not quite as crisp and is a bit more flowing. Nice freshness here. (89-92)

2013 Volnay 1er Cru – Grand Champs

This is the sole premier cru anyone produces from this climat, the rest of it being classified as village. The wine is crisp and pure with dark fruit, elegance, and a bit more structure than the two preceding wines. (89-92)

2013 Volnay 1er Cru – Santenots

The lieu-dit here is Les Santenots Blancs, and it is located just above Lafon’s Santenots-du-Milieu. The nose here is round and less sharp than those of the preceding premiers crus. The mouth is rounder, too, with red fruit and more structure, but still elegance for Santenots (something that I noticed in this vintage for Santenots in general). (90-93)

2013 Volnay 1er Cru – Les Champans

This wine shows the roundness and fleshiness of Champans with some structure to its dark fruits, especially plums. (90-93)

2013 Volnay 1er Cru – Clos des Chênes

The nose here is floral. The mouth is stony and intense, as is typical of Clos des Chênes, with finesse, firmness, and dark fruits. It is an excellent finish to the 2013s in this cellar. (91-94)