2023 Domaine Jean-Marc Bouley Volnay 1er Cru "Caillerets"

Aromas of sweet red berries, peonies, rose petals and spices introduce the 2023 Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets, a medium- to full-bodied, suave and satiny wine with a charming attack, ample mid-palate and good tension through the finish. Walk through the vineyards of the Côte de Beaune, and Thomas Bouley’s eight hectares of vines are easy to spot. Their unusually high, evenly spaced canopies are hedged high and late (after bunch closure), casting dappled shade over supple, aerated soils that are often covered with a delicate carpet of grass and weeds. At harvest, his yields are moderate, and clusters are invariably open and healthy. Vineyards don’t look like this by accident, and it’s both Bouley’s results and the indefatigable work ethic that lies behind them that have won him the near-universal admiration of other growers along the Côte d’Or.(WK)