Volnay Caillerets Clos de 60 Ouvrees, Domaine de la Pousse d'Or 2005

Compared to the expressiveness of the prior wines, here the nose is reserved to the point of being discreet, revealing only glimpses of even more complex spicy blue berry and violet suffused fruit that introduces big, rich and quite ripe flavors underpinned by excellent mid-palate concentration and a firm if subtle mineral backbone that runs the full length of the magnificently long finish. This is flat out terrific.

The 2005 Volnay Caillerets Clos des 60 Ouvrees (like the Clos d'Audinac and Clos de la Bousse d'Or, a monopole) features the oldest vines in the estate's Volnay holdings, more than half of them planted in the mid fifties. Black cherry, purple plum, pistachio, ginger, and cumin inform the nose. On the palate this offers old vines creaminess, flattering glycerin, and yet also a persistently bright freshness of black fruits. A deep, lingering, faintly caramel-inflected bitter-sweetness, spice, and chalk further testifies to the concentration in this wine, which surpasses the Bousse d'Or in structure and gives it a hard run for its money in the charm department. Check on this in 8-10 years but then figure on another decade of improvement in the cellar.

Very bright crimson. Light but lovely on the nose. Very well-integrated perfumes. Far from solid and all the better for it. A very delicate touch. Super brisk.