Domaine Jacques Prieur : Volnay 1er cru "Santenots" 2008

Wine Advocate-Parker :
A 2008 Volnay Santenots consists almost entirely (and, following the replanting of Prieur's other Santenots acreage to Chardonnay, will in 2009 consist exclusively) of fruit from dozen year old vines in their monopole Clos de Santenots. Mace, cocoa powder, blond tobacco, nutmeg, and cinnamon inform the nose and a palate that features well-integrated tannin and sweetly-rich cherry fruit. It appears that the Prieur team approached fermentative extraction very gently lest the resultant wine reflect the hail and that this approach paid other dividends as well There is a chalky mineral dimension in the finish as well as impressive persistence and primary juiciness of fruit and satisfying richness, even if it is less dynamic or bright than most of the best 2008s. And while char, vanilla, and spice all point to the nearness of new oak, it never becomes obtrusive. Consume this over the next 4-6 years and feel free to relish its youthful generosity.