Domaine Yvon Clerget, Volnay Caillerets 1er Cru 2001

Clerget Volnay Caillerets 2001

Pale garnet.   No weeds here but high-toned and silvery: spearmint and wolfbane.   Quite evocative.   Astringency lurks behind it, however.  The more savory wine with just enough succulence.  Positive and gently herbal at the end.  For drinking soon.

The ’01 Volnays were compromised from the beginning: hail decimated half of the crop, they were categorically dismissed as drinkers on release.  So I was curious when the Clerget family released these wines here in California earlier this year.  Why now, thirteen years on (besides the obvious and the cynical: monetization, a desire to capitalize on today’s insatiable demand for Bourgogne no matter how flawed)?    This lyric Caillerets has just enough strength and focus to make its impact: one of the fleeting ones, it’s the opposite of epic, with a gypsy soul that haunts me to this day.

Clerget Volnay Caillerets 2001 #1

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