2022 Michel Lafarge - Volnay Vendanges Selectionnees

Domaine Michel Lafarge is one of Burgundy's oldest self-bottling estates, having sold its own wine under the family name since the early twentieth century, well before that became common practice. Frédéric Lafarge now leads the domaine, continuing the biodynamic farming the family adopted in 2000 and the same minimal, hands-off winemaking that has defined the house for generations.

Vendanges Sélectionnées draws on four parcels of old vines set just below the domaine's premier crus, including fruit from lieux-dits such as Les Mitans and Les Lurets, and is essentially the finest selection of the estate's village-level grapes. The wine is destemmed and fermented with native yeasts, then aged with a modest ten percent new oak, giving it more depth than the standard village bottling.

The wine shows red cherry, sweet berries, and a touch of raw cocoa, with a lively, blossomy perfume. Elegant and supple, it has fine tannins and noticeably more depth and length than the domaine's regular village Volnay. It pairs nicely with grilled sausages, roast pork belly, or a particularly nutty semi-firm cheese.