- Once the Last Great Value Area for Elite Burgundy
- d'Angerville and Lafarge Have Passed the Critical $200 Mark
- d'Angerville Village Volnay Is Over $140 at Some Stores
- Continued Price Increases Are Expected
Pierrick Bouley
- His Parents Wines Were Beautifully Typical
- Pierrick Has Taken Them to Elite Levels
- Critical Recognition as Top Tier
- Selling Out Before They Are Bottled
The 2019 Vintage
- I Haven't Seen This Much Demand since 2010 Red Burgs
- A Brilliant Vintage
- Pierrick Says 2020 is Same Yields as 2019 but Less 1er Crus!
2019 Pierrick Bouley Volnay 1er Cru "Les Grands Champs"
- The Most Limited and Expensive Wine in their Lineup
- A 25+ Year Wine
- Nose: Black Cherries, Crushed Strawberries
- The Great Burgundian Symphony in Full Effect
- Always a Special Wine Aromatically
- Powerful and Concentrated on the Palate
- Crazy Fresh Dark Cherry Fruit
2019 Pierrick Bouley Volnay
- Always An Incredible Village Volnay
- Has Volnay Aromatics but Terrific Density
- Dark Berry Fruit
- Very Lafarge-Like
- A Brilliant Entree to a New Top Burgundy Producer
- "A Great Volnay" Neal Martin Vinous
taste four of his 2016s). I will make a visit next time I am in the village to taste the full range." - Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate
"Given the impressive quality of the 2019s that I tasted from the latter, it would not surprise me if Réyane & Pascal Bouley becomes one of Volnays most sought-after producers." - Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate
Pierrick Bouley
Pierrick Bouley has arrived and he is now firmly on the same ground as d'Angerville and Lafarge. The French pick new producers up quickly, but unless you are a real superstar, even they are not usually this fast.
I represented the estate when his parents were making very good wine. Pierrick had a hand in the 2015 vintage but took over 100% from his parents with the brilliant 2016s. To mark his arrival, the estate changed from Reyane and Pascal Bouley to Pierrick Bouley. Then after the incredible 2016s, he pushed the quality level even higher in 2017, 2018 and now 2019 which is his most accomplished vintage yet. I knew that he was among the elite at this point but he was not yet famous in France.
No one was prepared for the 2019s. Pierrick is completely sold out and has been for months. I did not reserve enough as I thought they were going to be tarriffed. They are not. Some of you will be disapointed.
The wines should be treated as such and not be drunk young and hold sacred slots in ones cellar. They will be among your best wines when you open them no matter who you are. I will also have more detailed notes that I will send out once the wines have arrived and rested for me to taste.
A note on the MONOPOLE 1er Cru Les Grands Champs
This is a Pierrick Bouley's specialty and has shot up to the top of the price hierarchy for a reason at Chez Bouley. It is basically his Grand Cru Volnay and is superior to his vaunted 1er Cru's Les Champans and Clos des Chenes. My bottle of 2014 recently was the best Volnay I had in 2020. But that was before Pierrick took over in 2016. The wines are better than ever now. It needs at least a decade of cellaring and when one tastes at Chez Bouley it is served after Clos des Chenes which is served last at every other place it is made.
The Wines
2019 Pierrick Bouley Volnay 1er Cru "Les Grands Champs" for $97.99 a bottle on a 3-pack.
The nose is stunning. Like over the top stunning. Very, very expressive. So floral and with such a diverse array of spices and amazing deep, dark cherry fruit and unreal licorice. The spice becomes an almost La Tachian bazaar after 10 Minutes in the glass. It's the essence of Pinot Noir. Huge limestone footprint and so, so stoney. Perhaps even stonier than Clos des Chenes. So refined. Truly a refined and aristocratic nose. It goes in eight different directions. It opens up minute by minute. The great Burgundian symphony in full effect. Truly a special aromatic wine. You pay for the aromas in Burgundy! You better believe it.
The palate is incredibly impressive. I was not prepared. It's velvety and so, so deep with exquisite purity and deep, rich, crystalline cherry fruit. Again, we are talking the essence of Pinot Noir. The fruit is extraordinary but not like 15. It is much more refined. More like 10 with a 15 turbo boost. The tannins are super high quality and there is a pleasant stoniness throughout. The tannins taste expensive and feel expensive. It's super juicy, stoney and the finish is just awesome. Its powerful and concentrated with an almost pastille like texture. It's long and I mean insane long. It does not stop. Wonderful acidity and freshness. I remember I tasted this before the 2019 Abbaye de Morgeot and it was just so long that Pierrick kept trying to get me to taste it but I could not because the finish was too damn long. This is obviously very limited and will last 25+ years. Brilliant.
"The 2019 Volnay Les Grands Champs 1er Cru comes from the Domaine's 0.24-hectare monopole, as they own (or technically an intra-familial fermage) the entirety of the Premier Cru part as well as another parcel in the Village Cru sector that is blended into the Volnay Village. It has a very clean and precise bouquet with black cherries and crushed strawberry fruit, fine mineralité peeking through with aeration. Great delineation. The palate is succulent on the entry with sorbet-fresh dark cherry fruit laced with fig and marmalade. Perhaps the most exotic of Bouley's 2019s yet perfectly controlled and fresh as a daisy, this is an excellent Volnay."- 92 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous
"This is aromatically similar to the Ronceret with just a bit more spice nuance in evidence. The rich and quite generously proportioned medium-bodied flavors possess a seductive texture though with enough underlying tension to maintain good delineation and balance on the sappy and lingering finish. This is extremely fine, indeed it's a wine of finesse, but one with punch." - 92 Points, Burghound
Up next is the 2019 Pierrick Bouley Volnay for $49.99 a bottle on a 4-Pack. This elixir is a crazy steal given that the top village Volnays go for twice this much. This wine is ridiculous and one of the best values we sell in Burgundy. All of the Pinot lovers on this list need this. You cannot find wine of this quality in the Volnay market. Lafarge's 19 Volnay is not out but I think it will be $100+ based on last vintage pricing.
The wine is beautiful and has the power, sap and concentration one would expect from a top producer like this but also because of Pierrick's deft touch it has gorgeous finesse. His wines get more elegant every year. It's unreal.
Nose of big, dense cherries boiled down to their essence. Man it's so aromatic and layered but also airy. Layered perfume. Spices galore and even some oolong tea. So stoney as well and delicate with intense minerality. The nose will take years to unfurl.
But the palate will stop you in your tracks. Palate is just a fruit bomb. Amazingly concentrated yet elegant as well with huge rich cherry fruit that is so sweet and gorgeously defined. Wonderful acidity and freshness. This wine is bananas. On the palate, it is so deep, so rich, so complex and so insanely concentrated I cannot believe it. I spent 15 minutes with this wine. Trust me it's a lot. It's ripe but cut with flowers and minerals. And this is so pure that the Neil Martin Lafarge comparison is spot on. The finish is just stunning and left me like whoah. It's layered and the fruit, richness and power and finesse are top notch. It's so, so deep and will age gloriously. I was emailing with Pierrick the other day and he said the wine is 10x better now than it was when I tasted in barrel in February. I cannot wait to get my hands on this baby.
"From eight different parcels, the 2019 Volnay Village has a well defined bouquet with dark berry fruit, sous-bois and light rose petal aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine but firm tannins. It has good backbone and is nicely focused with abundant freshness and vitality towards the finish. A great Volnay." - 90 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous
2019 Pierrick Bouley Volnay 1er Cru "Les Grands Champs" Monopole - $99.99 ($293.97 3-Pack)
2019 Pierrick Bouley Volnay - $51.99 ($199.96 4-pack)
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