Volnay Vieilles Vignes 2016 (Vincent Girardin)

Cellar for 15 years or more. Decanting is optional, up to 30 minutes before serving. This is an elegant Pinot Noir harvested from old vines, with a pronounced nose of sour black cherry, blackberry, garrigue, and sun-scorched earth. It comes from the region of Volnay in Burgundy, best known for its delicate, feminine style, which this bottle from Vincent Girardin captures perfectly. The story of Maison Vincent Girardin began in 1980, when young Vincent left the family winery in Santenay and began anew, with just 2 hectares of vineyards. Although the business was sold in 2012, to a longtime business partner of Vincent’s, the ethos remains the same. Run by a small team of nine people, Maison Vincent Girardin makes stunning, terroir-driven wines that are adored the world over. The old vines of Volnay (with an average age of 65 years) impart a certain maturity to this wine. It is a bright red in the glass, but on the palate, it reveals ripe flavours of redcurrant, baked cherry, and prune. Floral hints of violet reveal themselves as the wine opens up, and at the finish, you can detect strong hints of baking spice. It was aged in barrels of 30% new oak for 14 months before release. Consider pairing this Volnay Pinot Noir with vegetable tagine, roast chicken, or pungent cheese.