2019 Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er cru Fremiet, Burgundy, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

Fremiet is a 1.57 hectare sized parcel located under the Clos des Ducs and Pitures. d’Angerville does not do any post-fermentation maceration; when the sugars have finished fermenting, the wine goes directly into barrels for 15 to 18 months of aging. The most new oak used for any of his Volnay wines is 20%.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

A truly great Burgundian domaine with an illustrious history that began in 1804, Domaine Marquis d'Angerville first made a name for itself in the early 1900s when Sem, Marquis d'Angerville, pioneered domaine-bottled Burgundy alongside his friend Henri Gouges. The estate was inherited by his son Jacques in 1952, who took the domaine to ever greater heights over an extraordinary and brilliant career spanning 52 vintages. In 2003 the current proprietaire, Guillaume, Marquis d'Angerville, took over after his father Jacques' tragic and premature passing.

This wonderful Volnay estate Domaine spans 15 ha in total, of which 12 are devoted to Volnay - the vast majority of which are Premiers Crus. The Domaine's vineyards are no more than 15 minutes' walk from each other, yet the resulting wines boast such different personalities. These are Burgundies that not only offer immense pleasure and drinkability, they also represent a veritable masterclass in the effect of terroir on wine. The jewel in the domaine's crown is, without question, the Clos des Ducs, Monopole. One of the great crus of the Cote de Beaune, the earliest records of Clos des Ducs, can be found in 1507. The size of the Clos then is exactly the same as it is today 2.15 ha or 52 ouvrees

Guillaume is meticulous and shows an unstinting commitment to producing the best wine he can whilst staying faithful to Volnay's special terroir. The vine growing and winemaking is based on the philosophy of respecting and working with nature. The Domaine's move to Bio-dynamic viticulture in 2006 is central to this, a process that began with the appointment the year before of the talented Francois Duvivier as regisseur, to oversee this conversion. Rigorous manual work is carried out in the vineyard, therefore, whilst the winemaking is as gentle and respectful to the wines as possible. These are polished Volnays of purity, precision and style, nothing is over-done or out of balance, extractions are soft and new oak is no more than it needs to be, a maximum of 20%. The characteristics of grape, vintage and terroir resonate brightly through each wine.