2018 Michel Lafarge Volnay Mitans

Clear fresh purple not especially deep. This is on the tighter side though with good fruit intensity, some myrtilles, and showing the oak a touch more. Still a very good wine but not one of Lafarge’s showstoppers in 2018. 90-93 points

The 2018 Volnay Les Mitans 1er Cru has an absolutely glorious bouquet of perfumed black cherries, blueberry, potpourri and light violet aromas that are understated and yet focused and delineated. The palate is medium-bodied with a precise opening, and very harmonious and sensual. Pure, mineral-driven red fruit defines the effortless finish. Stunning. 93-95 points

The 2018 Mitans is another excellent wine in the making from Domaine Lafarge in this vintage. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a youthful blend of black cherries, black plums, French roast, pigeon, a very complex base of soil tones, woodsmoke and a nice touch of bitter chocolate in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite transparent in profile, with a lovely core of sappy black fruit, excellent focus and grip and fine-grained tannins perking up the long, complex and vibrant finish. Another absolutely superb bottle in the making. Drink 2030-2065+. 93+ points

The 2018 Volnay 1er Cru Mitans is built for the long haul, unwinding in the glass with notes of cassis, dark chocolate, sweet soil tones and potpourri. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with an ample chassis of rich, powdery tannins and lively balancing acids. 92-94 points

Seductively sweet fruit on the nose and still a hint of stony minerality. More intense and spicy than the Pitures. Deep, chewy, less open, and the fruit hidden under the structure at the moment. 16.5++ points