Another success is the 2019 Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans, an aromatic, perfumed wine that bursts with notions of peonies, plums and orange rind. Medium-bodied, lively and charming, with melting tannins and a supple, demonstrative profile, it will drink well young.

Aromas of raspberries and cherries mingle with rose petals, violets and raw cocoa in a fragrant bouquet, introducing the 2018 Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans, a medium to full-bodied, supple and inviting wine that's ripe but succulent, built around melting tannins and juicy acids. This is a charming, front-loaded Mitans that will offer a wide drinking window.

The 2016 Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans, which had not been racked, had a tightly wound, slightly laconic bouquet with straightforward redcurrant and cranberry fruit laced with loamy scents. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy and chalky tannin, the red fruit overtaken by black fruit toward the finish that is Pommard-like in style. Good potential. Cerebral and quite delicious.

The 2015 Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans has fine transparency on the nose with airy red berry fruit, sous-bois and a touch of white chocolate. The palate is very well balanced with succulent tannin, quite sweet with bay leaf and vervain tea towards the finish. Very refined and poised, I would just like a tad more intensity once this is in bottle.

The 2014 Volnay Mitans 1er Cru, 100% destemmed, has a crisp blackberry, raspberry and bay leaf scented bouquet, replaced by a marine scent with time. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy black fruit, a little tarry in texture and a blocky, rather austere finish. I would have liked more finesse to come through, even at this early stage.