Volnay AOC 2021

Fresh and fine on the nose, juicy and lively on the palate: this Volnay is built on the finesse the appellation is known for. Vibrant fruit, fine extract sweetness and a smooth texture carry it, while the tart finish still needs a little more time.

Five parcels totalling two hectares in Volnay, on the lower and upper slopes. The soils are deep and clay-rich, underlaid by a limestone base; the vines have an average age of 34 years. Thomas Bouley farms eight hectares across 29 parcels in Volnay, Pommard and Beaune together with his father Jean-Marc, organically without certification and with biodynamic influences applied without dogma. Cover crops in winter to prevent erosion, weeds left in summer to regulate moisture, low yields, plenty of manual work.

Pinot Noir, fully destemmed in this vintage. Fermentation took place in open vats, followed by 18 months' ageing in barriques with 25% new oak; the estate never uses more than 50% new barrels. The wine is dry, with 13.0% ABV.

The nose is fresh and subtly yeasty, with a very fine sweetness: barberry and cranberry, sour cherry and a touch of sweet cherry, alongside ethereal notes. On the palate it is juicy and lively, the acidity pronounced and well integrated, the texture elegant, the finish tart and still youthful. The wine does not betray its vintage.

Venison with beetroot, olive, cherry and liquorice, partridge fricassee with porcini mushrooms, or the vegetarian option risotto with roasted root vegetables and genmai miso.

Thomas Bouley joined his father's estate in 2002 at the age of twenty and has since forgone synthetic treatments and herbicides. He deliberately forgoes organic certification, choosing instead to document his practices with an honour seal; cosmic rhythms inform both pruning and bottling.