Bernard & Thierry Glantenay Volnay Premier Cru Les Brouillards 2019

“The 2019 Volnay Les Brouillards 1er Cru, which includes around 25% whole bunch fruit, has an open and transparent nose of brambly red fruit laced with sous-bois. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red berry fruit laced with graphite. This is taut and fresh, a Volnay belying the warmth of the growing season with a vivacious, limestone-driven finish. Classic in style, this Volnay should give 15-20 years at drinking pleasure. Drinking windo: 2022-2040. 91-93 points

Whenever I visit this domaine, I stop to admire the panorama from the top of Clos des Ducs, almost a 180-degree view across towards Mont Blanc over 200km away that becomes visible on a clear day. I have been visiting Glantenay for a number of years and have always found Thierry Glantenay a softly spoken and self-effacing winemaker. “The 2019 vintage was quite special,” he told me in his first-floor kitchen as his daughter returned from school. “It was warm and dry but there were two heat waves at the end of June and end of July that reduced quantity due to burned berries, especially in Santenots. I have slightly less alcohol, on average half a degree less than in 2018, but with more opulence and freshness. I started the harvest on 13 September and finished around a week later, everything picked in a logical order. The Village Crus are completely de-stemmed with partial whole bunch addition for the Premier Crus. The new oak is between 15% and 30%.” This was a fine set of wines crowed by a superb Volnay Clos des Chênes, a vineyard that performed strongly in this vintage, though the winemaker himself has a soft spot for the Caillerets. Readers should also seek out Glantenay’s Volnay Brouillard, an often over-looked and under-estimated Premier Cru.”

William Kelley, Wine Advocate (12/20)