Domaine Michel Lafarge - Volnay 1er Cru 'Clos des Chênes' 2022

The Lafarge family has been making wine in Volnay since before the French Revolution, and what Michel and Frédéric do today is informed by the collective wisdom passed down through many generations of Lafarge.

Everything father and son do, therefore, is based on experience and a deep respect for tradition, rather than in following trends. As Michel told The Great Domaines of Burgundy author Remington Norman, “The only way of improving quality is to review what has been done and achieved before.”

For Lafarge, this means everything from using only sélection massale cuttings for replanting to a very minimal use of new oak for aging. As with his fellow Volnaysien Marquis D’Angerville’s wines, Michel and Frédéric allow the wine to essentially “make itself.”

The fruit is picked at ideal ripeness, destemmed, given a long, cool fermentation with the native yeasts, and all handling of the wine, including extraction and movement is gentle to preserve its quintessential Volnay delicacy. As Michel told Remington Norman, “Every pump is bad.”

The results are stunningly pure Volnays of haunting perfume, underpinned by the firm structure for extended aging. They are quintessential examples of the Burgundian model of intensity without heaviness, deceptively long-lived for their exhilarating elegance.

“A royal purple colour. The fruit intensity on the nose outstrips all the others. What a perfect pitch of ripeness! I keep going back to smell it again. Waves of fruit wash over the palate, raspberry, a few perfectly ripe cherries, superbly nuanced as well as the intensity. Finally, a finish in perfect harmony. Drink from 2035. Tasted Dec 2023.” - 97 Points, Jasper Morris

"Lafarge has a large parcel of nearly a hectare in the Clos des Chênes; it always makes an exceptional wine. Frédéric notes, ' In 2022, the terroirs are really apparent, which is not always the case in hot years.' He coaxes a wine of great richness from this special plot. The dark mulberry and cassis fruit is scented with exotic spices and a savoury, gamey note. The structure is firmly tannic but not astringent, and the finish goes on interminably. Age this ideally for at least five years before opening, and it will repay you with decades of pleasure.” - 95 Points, Decanter

“From 45+ year old vines that sit just above Champans. This is also quite spicy with its aromas of purple fruit, wet stone, newly turned earth and a floral top note. There is a completely different mouthfeel to the voluminous, powerful and serious larger-bodied soil-tinged flavors that also flash plenty of minerality on the built-to-age and gorgeously long finish. This is brawny, but brawny in a Volnaysien way, which is to say more gymnast than body builder!*Burghound Sweet Spot Outstanding!” - 95 Points, Burghound

Producer: Domaine Michel Lafarge

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Appellation: Volnay 1er Cru

Vintage: 2022

Size: 750ml