Bursting with aromas of cherries, strawberries, raw cocoa and sweet soil tones, the 2018 Volnay 1er Cru Robardelles is medium to full-bodied, lively and concentrated, with powdery tannins and a chalky finish.

The 2012 Volnay 1er Cru Robardelles is a rarely seen climat and there will be no 2013. It lies on the same contours and Santenots du Milieu to the north. It has a dark plum and incense bouquet that opens nicely with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins, plenty of juicy raspberry and strawberry fruit with a pert, mineraly finish. You may have heard of Pierre-Antoine Rovani. One of Burgundy’s most shy and retiring members, he was his usual taciturn self, uttering all but one or two words during my Sunday afternoon tasting of 2012s in Remoissenet’s 14th century cellars, just off the Beaune peripherique. You know the story here: the name reborn in 2005 when outside investors prompted a Damascene resurrection of what had fundamentally been an also-ran bottling operation, into a quality-driven concern and vinifying wines themselves. Their policy is to buy at premium in order to acquire the best fruit, except for the 2.5-hectare of vineyard that they own themselves. With general manager and former Louis Jadot president Bernard Repolt, winemaker Claudine Jobard and chef de culture Fred Le Prince (a wonderful name that sounds like a lost bassist from Funkadelic), this has been one of the region’s recent success stories. They recently purchased the cuverie at Chateau de Chorey to make the Bourgogne Rouge and Givry Village. They use “342s” as Pierre Antoine referred to them i.e. 342-litre barrels casks for vinifying most of their wines. They have a large portfolio of both domaine and negociant wines that I tasted at a leisurely pace on a Sunday afternoon. And I must say, I was impressed by their 2012s. Sure, not everything hits the spot with such a comprehensive and diverse array of wines, but the fact is that many crus showed very well. As Rovani mentioned, there is a gap in the market for affordable Burgundy, one that will surely expand as the top names become prohibitively expensive for mere mortals. That is where Remoissenet can fit in and having overhauled their reds, it sounds as if they will be working on ameliorating their whites in future years, not that they are anything to be ashamed of now. Hey, and you know what? Even Pierre-Antoine was beginning to lose his inhibition and comes out of his shell by the end of the tasting. Importers: Simon N Cellars, Charlottesville, VA; tel. (434) 977-4476, Bertin Henri Selections, Doral, FL; tel. (305) 392 6995, Cavatappi Distribuzione, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 292 5226, Dark Star Imports, New York, NY; tel. (646) 312 8921, Arborway Imports, Lexington, MA; tel. (781) 862-0515, United Wine and Spirits, Houston, TX; tel. (713) 696-9463, D.G.L. Distributors, Northbrook, IL; tel. (847) 291- 1110, The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 603-1460. Also available through Avery’s Wine Merchants in Bristol (UK).

The 2010 Volnay Les Robardelles is beautifully layered, sweet and perfumed. Sweet red cherries, crushed flowers and licorice are woven together in this mid-weight, gracious Burgundy. Clean, saline notes frame the energetic finish. This is a very pretty and promising Volnay. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. Once again I tasted with the entire team at Remoissenet, including President Pierre Rovani, General Manager Bernard Repolt, Winemaker Claudie Jobard and Vineyard Manager Fred Le Prince. Remoissenet continues to ratchet up the quality of their reds. Given the house’s preference for texturally rich wines, the cool 2010 vintage provided attractive balancing elements here. The harvest started on September 27 and finished on October 6. Importers: Simon N Cellars, Charlottesville, VA; tel. (434) 977-4476, Bertin Henri Selections, Doral, FL; tel. (305) 392-6995, Cavatappi Distribuzione, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 292-5226, Dark Star Imports, New York, NY; tel. (646) 312-8921, Arborway Imports, Lexington, MA; tel. (781) 862-0515, United Wine and Spirits, Houston, TX; tel. (713) 696-9463, D.G.L. Distributors, Northbrook, IL; tel. (847) 291-1110, The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 603-1460

The 2009 Volnay Robardelles is a soft, pretty wine layered with crushed flowers and dried cherries. This is a forward, delicate Burgundy with a somewhat fragile personality that leads me to think it is best enjoyed sooner rather than later. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020. I tasted a wide range of wines with winemaker Claudie Jobard and president Pierre-Antoine Rovani, one of my predecessors at The Wine Advocate. Remoissenet has undergone a significant face lift under the guidance of Rovani and a new ownership team headed by a group of American investors. today's wines are made in an overt, fruit-forward style. Overall I found most of the best reds to be those made from estate owned fruit, while the wines made from purchased fruit are in most cases still works in progress, not surprising considering how much has changed here in a relatively short time span. Remoissenet favors low yields in the vineyards (estate vineyards are farmed biodynamically), harvests late and vinifies with long but gentle fermentations. The estate is not shy in using new oak to give the wines additional volume, including 100% new barrels for all the Grand Crus. Many of the entry-level 2009s were bottled early to preserve softness. I tasted the remaining wines from barrel.Importers: Simon N Cellars, Charlottesville, VA; tel. (434) 977-4476, Bertin Henri Selections, Doral, FL; tel. (305) 392 6995, Cavatappi Distribuzione, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 292 5226, Dark Star Imports, New York, NY; tel. (646) 312 8921, Arborway Imports, Lexington, MA; tel. (781) 862-0515, United Wine and Spirits, Houston, TX; tel. (713) 696-9463, D.G.L. Distributors, Northbrook, IL; tel. (847) 291- 1110, The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 603-1460