While Thierry Glantenay is very happy with the quality of his 2023s, it was quite clear during my visit that he considers his 2022s to be the superior vintage at his domaine. I am not sure what is the reason, but in the 2022 vintage, the Clos des Chênes is again a touch riper than the rest of the Volnay lineup (as was the case in 2023 as well), coming in at 14.5 percent octane in this vintage. That said, the wine is still beautifully pure and vibrant on both the nose and palate, with the bouquet revealing scents of black plums, black cherries, violets, coffee bean, gamebird, woodsmoke, dark soil tones and a gentle framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused, pure and sappy at the core, with great mineral drive and grip, firm, buried tannins, a good spine of acidity and great balance on the long, nascently complex and very, very promising finish. This seems perfectly proportioned and built for the long haul. Superb juice! 2040-2090.

The 2022 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes is the ripest, most dramatic wine in the cellar, as is often the case, bursting with aromas of cherries, plums, spices and petals, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and voluminous palate, with a sweet core of fruit framed by rich structuring tannin. The unassuming but passionate Thierry Glantenay continues to produce delicious, sensual wines in his cellars in Volnay. In 2020, he put an end to roganage (trimming the vines) by tractor. instead, Thierry now trims by hand, with shears, letting the canopies grow higher (in emulation of his upstairs neighbor in Les Rugiens, Thomas Bouley). In the winery, Glantenay prefers to let temperature and alcohol do the work of extraction for him, keeping pigéage and rémontage to a minimum during classical macerations in cement vats. He presses gently, and élevage, without racking until the mise en bouteille, takes place in at most 30% new barrels.(WK)

The 2022 Volnay Clos des Chênes 1er Cru contains 25% to 30% whole bunches this vintage. The energetic bouquet offers redcurrant and raspberry fruit, fine mineralité and tension. Hints of black truffle shavings emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. There’s a liberal sprinkling of black pepper here, the stem addition perhaps the most tangible amongst the cuvées yet commensurate with the fruit concentration. This is another success for the estate in 2022.(NM)