While the poor choice of clone and rootstock (not – needless to say – made by him) that Charlot continues to hold responsible for his Volnay Cailleret's failure to fully reflect its site proved especially handicapping this year, the Voillot 2006 Volnay Les Brouillards – from 70 year old selection massale vines bordering Pommard – performs admirably. Red raspberry and buddleia perfume lead to a sleek, texturally refined, and persistently refreshing palate, mingling tart red fruits and raw meat juices. The sense of glycerin here as well as the fineness of tannin keeps the wine's brightness of fruit from becoming sharp, and there is a sense of clarity to chalky and saline mineral as well as to carnal nuances in the finish. As Charlot points out, the corresponding 2005 now seems quite austere in direct comparison, whereas he finds the character of the 2006 vintage more suited to the strengths and limitations of Brouillards terroir. But I am confident the 2005 will gain back the virtues it showed from barrel and then some. I suspect that this 2006 will remain charming and versatile over the coming 4-6 years.
The characteristically crisply-edged Pinot style favored by Jean-Pierre Charlot resulted in a collection of generally bright, delicate, but lean and selectively astringent 2006s. Charlot says triage was needed for culling grapes that had been subjected July sunburn, as well as for eliminating under-ripeness and rot. He professed satisfaction with by the standards of the vintage relatively low natural alcohol levels of 11.5-12.5%, and chaptalized lightly. Only the Bourgogne was deemed to require filtration, and Charlot says he prefers paying the price of a bit higher dosage of SO2 to submitting his Pinots to that trauma.
Importer: Vintage 59, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 966-9218
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