2005 Domaine Michel Lafarge, Volnay Premier Cru, Vendanges Selectionnees 1x750ml

Vinous 89+

Saturated dark red with ruby highlights. Black fruit aromas show an almost liqueur-like ripeness. Deep flavors of dark berries and violet, given excellent cut by firm acidity. A serious, youthfully tight wine with a solid tannic spine. I’d give this a good eight years in the cellar. As good a vintage for this cuvee as I can recall. [Stephen Tanzer, 01/03/2008]

Robert Parker 90-91+

From four parcels proximate in geography and potential quality to their uphill, premier cru neighbors comes the Lafarge 2005 Volnay Vendanges Selectionnees. Deeper, darker and denser in color, structure and flavor than the “regular” Volnay at this address (and as such more typical of this vintage), this offers generous black cherry and plum with tart fruit skin and bitter fruit pit adjuncts. A rich meatiness puts one in mind a bit of Pommard (not surprising given that two of the vineyards incorporated into this bottling lie on the communal line), as does this wine’s firm tannic backbone. Wet stone and humus notes add complexity to the persistently bright fruit and rich meatiness of an almost severely-concentrated finish that introduces a somewhat detracting and hopefully temporary blocking note of bitterness. Certainly the “regular” village wine is more fun to drink today. [David Schildknecht, 06/01/2007]