Comedians, top order batsmen and winemakers all agree that timing is everything.
For the vigneron one of the most crucial decisions to make is the timing of harvest. Deciding when to pick the grapes can have huge ramifications for the style of wine made, its quality and how well and long it ages.
Growers and winemakers in marginal regions such as Burgundy know all too well how the growing season and the timing of harvest can hugely affect the end product, so it’s a popular topic among Burgundians and one that was discussed at length during the recent tasting of the 2022 wines from Domaine Marquis D’Angerville.
Guillaume d'Angerville - daughter Margot joined the team last year and is being groomed to take over
The tasting was hosted by owner and winemaker Guillaume d’Angerville, whose family has owned the Volnay Domaine for 220 years. Guillaume took the reins in 2003 on the death of his father, and the 2022 vintage was his 20th at the helm.
In his tasting notes he says the 2022 vintage “belongs to the group of very, very good vintages… they have surprised us with their freshness, fluidity and tension.”
Tasting the wines it’s clear that the 2022 Volnays have plenty to offer, but the growing season was not straightforward and for only the third time in the past 20 years the Domaine harvested in August after a summer of very high average temperatures.
“I think it's the warmest year ever recorded in Burgundy in terms of average temperatures,” says Guillaume over lunch, where he offers a candid review of the growing season and its challenges.
He knew as far out as May that picking would begin in August, and is very matter-of-fact about how nature has a firm grip on the whip hand when it comes to grape growing. “Everything progresses naturally, when we have flowering the week before the end of May, we already know that we're going to have another harvest in August, of course,” he says.
In the end, harvest began on 25th August and lasted six-and-a-half days. “I think not a bad date in the end,” says Guillaume. “If I have one regret, perhaps we could have waited a couple of days more. I feel like a broken record saying this, but it is to me becoming more and more difficult to pick on the right date and also to make sure that we pick everything in a very short period of time.”
This he ascribes to climate change and the shifting and blurring of the seasons, which make it harder to know what to expect in the vineyard.
“Climate change is very painful for everyone,” he says, and makes reference to some of his neighbouring growers who have been hit hard by frost in recent years. “But frankly, for us, it has ensured that every vintage is ripe. We never have an issue with ripeness anymore, and that in and of itself, I think accounts for a lot of the improvement in the quality of the Burgundy wines. On average, you'd rather that challenge than the challenge of trying to ripen the grapes and trying to slow things down.”
He sums it up more succinctly by adding that he’s never used sugar in the past 20 years, and he doesn’t think his father had a vintage without sugar in his 50 years making wine.
Marquis d'Angerville 2022 tasting, London March 14, 2024
The wines themselves brim with possibility, from the basic Bourgogne Pinot Noir through to the celebrated 1er Cru wines there’s an abundance of fruit here and stirring underneath many there’s a hint of the depth and flair that will come with age.
“There’s opulence in the 22s,” says Guillaume, “we will never complain about a vintage like this.” Going back to his notes on the vintage as a whole, he says: “They show a lovely texture and grip, and they are joyous, long, silky and persistent.”
And so back to timing, during lunch where five wines from the 2016 vintage were enjoyed Guillaume suggests that the wheels are in motion for a change at the top of Domaine Marquis D’Angerville. His daughter Margot has joined the Domaine this year and is learning the ropes alongside her father, so it looks like just a matter of time (and timing) before the Marquis D’Angerville is passed on to the next generation.
As for Guillaume perhaps he’ll return to DJing, which he revealed to much surprise to be his first love before wine, and something he was quite handy at in his youth. “It was the peak of my career,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.
The wines: six picks from the 2022 vintage
Overview: The 2022s are full and sumptuous. Pronounced fruit runs through all the wines - but there are hints of what’s to come too in terms of development over time. Some are already showing those liquorice and savoury notes, spice and earth. This is an opulent vintage and on song already, but there’s plenty in the tank. Snap these up, if it’s not too late.
Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2022
Enticing black pepper on the nose, followed up by raspberry, pomegranate and cherry. The cherry note is predominant on the palate, but it’s slightly confected with a real sweetness in the fruit. Iodine and a smidge of earth-under-the-fingernails bring some complexity and depth. Weighty, rounded and very together.
Volnay 1er Cru 2022
Tank sample, but going into bottle very soon. An enticing nose of candied red fruits with a hint of Plasticine. On the palate there’s baked raspberry shortbread, cherry jam and strawberry sorbet. This is light-footed but bold, the fruit jumps from the glass… it’s almost luscious. A lovely bite of acidity on the clean, long finish rounds this off.
Volnay 1er Cru Frémiet 2022
Dense but fresh. Some spice on the nose, as well as Turkish Delight and fresh strawberry. On the palate there’s plush red fruits and a creamy berry note before an electric acidity waves in. Nice grip of tannins (Earl Grey tea?) and a chalky bite. Already a very complete wine.
Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets 2022
Fleshy and leaner than the Frémiet with spice, summer pudding and balsamic notes. Incense sticks and bruised red fruit are dominant, and there’s a savoury butcher’s shop aroma too. Lengthy with delicate, integrated tannins.
Volnay 1er Cru Champans 2022
This lithe and lively wine has aromas of raspberry ripple ice cream on the nose. It’s bold and chunky in the mouth, but not clunky. Quite the opposite, it’s machine-tooled, smooth and precise. There’s real life here, expressed through summer fruits and elevated, refreshing acidity.
Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs 2022
A pensive nose. I had to go back to this several times before it all came together. There's ripe raspberry here, under-ripe plum and dried sausage. A real savoury edge. It’s a powerful wine with bold redcurrant acidity and more raspberry fruit on the palate. Sumptuous… hits with a kiss.
The wines of Domaine Marquis D’Angerville are imported and sold in the UK by Corney & Barrow which is a commercial partner of The Buyer. To discover more about them click here.
