2017 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Volnay Premier Cru Clos Des Chenes

As I mentioned in the introduction, this wine was the last to complete its malolactic fermentation in the cellars this year and was lagging just a bit behind the other wines in terms of its expressiveness, but its ultimate quality was still very, very easy to appreciate. The bouquet is pure and classic, offering up a constellation of cherries, pomegranate, cocoa powder, gamebird, a great base of soil tones, woodsmoke and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and sappy at the core, with great mineral drive, superb focus and grip, tangy acids, finegrained tannins and a very long, perfectly balanced and complex finish. A superb Clos des Chênes in the making!  (1/2019) – 94 points, John Gilman