From 20 and 50 year-old vines (the younger touching d’Angerville’s parcel and the older the 60 Ouvrees) Rossignol’s 2005 Volnay Caillerets largely leaves behind fruits and berries for a tour of stony terroir on the back of a wild animal. Iodine, chalk and cherry pit pungency and bitterness, invigorating saltiness, tart hints of red currant, fascinating florality, and gaminess make for a complex young Pinot, dense and full of fine tannin yet already hinting at creaminess. The length and multifarious mineral dimension harbor grand cru pretensions, and I would not hesitate to hide bottles away for 8-10 years.
Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400.