2011 Volnay Clos des Chenes
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. There is clearly a lot of new oak on the nose of the Volnay Clos des Chenes and it tends to subjugate the fruit. The palate is chewy and ripe on the entry, quite dense and sinewy but missing some grace and sophistication on the slightly over-baked finish. The spicy aftertaste is attractive, but feels a little labored compared to its peers. The previous bottle tasted at the domaine last year performed more promisingly.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2011 Volnay Clos des Chênes is subtle, understated and classy from start to finish. A wine of precision and nuance, the Cloes de Chênes impresses for its balance and harmony. Small red berries, mint, anise and flowers lift out of the glass, beautifully supported by fine, chalky tannins. This is one of the more polished, refined 2011s readers will come across. Not a huge wine, the Clos des Chênes is all about subtlety.
Medium red. Dark cherry, menthol and a whiff of black pepper on the nose. Smooth and creamy-sweet in the mouth, but with a harmonious spine of ripe acids and tannins giving the black cherry fruit an enticing sappy quality. Finishes with fine-grained tannins and very good length and lift. Drink now or hold.
Good bright medium red. Fresh aromas of blueberry, blackberry and menthol. Shapely and vibrant on the palate, with a sweet, almost candied quality to its sappy dark cherry fruit. Elegantly styled wine with a distinctly crunchy quality and a slight positive bitterness on the finish. I like this!