Volnay Clos des Chenes, Domaine Michel Lafarge 2018

The brilliant 2018 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes offers up an incipiently complex bouquet of dark berry fruit, orange rind, plums, woodsmoke, dark chocolate and rich soil tones. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, reserved and muscular, with excellent depth and concentration, structured around an ample endowment of powdery tannin and succulent acids. The finish is long and nicely defined. As is almost invariably the case, this is a serious wine for the long haul, and it numbers among the wines of the vintage in the Côte de Beaune.