89+ 2005 Nicolas Potel Volnay V.V. 2/10/08 ($45)
13%alc
Color: Medium purple ruby. (3.0) Bouquet: Tart cherry, raspberry and cranberry with subtle cedar and some minerally terroir. Racy. (3.0) Body: Excellent acidity and very good fruit with uplifting mineral terroir. Solid middleweight. (3.0) Flavor: Parallels bouquet, but not as exciting. Still very solid. (3.0) Finish: Parallels bouquet step-for-step. Long on minerals. (3.0)
Overall: A very solid Volnay that has excellent structure, acidity and mineral terroir. Has sufficient fruit, but could be more concentrated. Needs about 5 years or so to be at its best, but not so backward that it can't be enjoyed now. This is one of the more reasonably priced '05 red Burgundies that I've come across and it's still relatively expensive for its level of quality.(15.0)
Note: Many would consider me to be a hold out as far as acknowledgeing that Pinot Noirs made outside of Burgundy are clearly surpassing red Burgundies in the $25 to $80 range for quality-to-price ratio. Before the '02 vintage, I thought the opposite was true. When prices rose for the '02 and '03 vintages, I still thought it was a close call. But now with the large price increases that have come with the '05 vintage, even I must admit that red Burgundy has a QPR problem. This is encouraging me to buy more alternative Pinots from Oregon, New Zealand and California.