Not surprisingly, the 2023 Clos des Chênes from Domaine Lafarge is a stunning wine in the making. The bouquet is pure, precise and complex, wafting from the glass in a blend of red and black plums, black cherries, raw cocoa, pigeon, violets, peonies, a marvelously complex base of soil tones, woodsmoke, cedar and just a touch of mustard seed in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, refined and sappy at the core, with beautiful soil signature, fine-grained tannins, perfect balance and a long, complex and very precise, dancing finish. Magical wine in the making. (Drink between 2040-2090)

The 2023 Volnay Clos des Chênes 1er Cru has a harmonious bouquet with slightly blacker fruit than the Caillerets, and hints of pencil shavings and bay leaf emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, fresh and quite saline yet certainly elegant, with an understated finish that lingers. It is already oozing class.(NM)

Note: from 45+ year old vines that sit just above Champans. Cool, airy and intricately layered aromas of various red berries, violet and spice are trimmed in soft earth nuances. There is both excellent volume and delineation to the larger-bodied and tautly muscular flavors that also flash an abundance of minerality on the compact, built-to-age and wonderfully long finish. As it usually is, this is a blend of power and refinement.*Burghound Sweet Spot Outstanding!*