The 2009 Volnay Caillerets is built on an attractive core of plush red fruit. Floral, mineral notes appear on the mid-palate, adding complexity as well as a sense of dimension. This is a pretty Volnay, but not as exciting as some of the other wines in this lineup. Rossignol used 30% whole bunches for the Caillerets, a departure from his usual practice here. The vineyards are also a bit younger than in some of the other parcels he works with. Tasted from tank. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027.
Nicolas Rossignol began picking on September 10th and brought in very ripe fruit, with natural alcohols in the 13.5% range. Rossignol used a higher percentage of stems than normal to give the wines a measure of freshness. The wines saw 20-24 days of cuvaison (with no cold soak) with one punchdown per day. New oak ranged from 15% for the villages to 33-50% for the 1ers. The wines were not racked during their time in barrel. Rossignol has an energy and passion that will take him far. His 2009s are a bit all over the place stylistically, though, and it appears that a distinct house style has yet to emerge.
A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Toepfer Imports LLC, CO; tel. (303) 818-7640; Pas Mal Portfolio, NY; tel. (201) 569-4132