| Score: |
91+ ST.
"(One-third new oak): Bright ruby-red. Hints of game, sexy oak and minerals on the nose. Sweet, suave and seamless; more complex than the 60 Ouvrees but less obviously vibrant today. Showing more stony influence than primary fruit. Finishes a bit edgy, with a hint of chocolate. Patrick Landanger was out of the country on one of his many business ventures, so I tasted this year with cellarmaster Christophe Bouillot, who formerly taught for 22 years at the Lycee Viticole de Beaune. Bouillot told me that the estate made sparing use of its concentrator in 2010: "We reduced the volume by only about 6%, which did not affect the balance of the wines." At Pousse d'Or, the vats are cooled to 50 degrees in stainless steel tanks for seven days of maceration a froid, then fermented with all wild yeasts from the vineyards. Five or more punchdowns per day are the rule here, but there is generally no post-fermentation maceration (total time on the skins was 20 to 23 days in 2010, according to Bouillot). I was very impressed by the noble tannins of the best 2010s cuvees here, and it was a treat to be able to see the line-up of wines produced from the Moine-Hudelot vineyards that Landanger purchased in 2008. The 2010s had been moved into tanks a month to my visit following very late malolactic fermentations; in fact, the Volnay Clos des 60 Ouvrees had just finished its malo in tank." Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com, Jan 2012 |