Description
Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur, Volnay 1er Cru “Clos des Chenes”
The mind works in mysterious ways. When this superlative red was blindly poured for me several weeks ago, something about it felt familiar. The intricate perfume, ferric minerality, velour-knit texture, and structured ripeness all pointed to one thing: a quintessential, best-in-class Premier Cru Volnay. Still, my connection seemed to run even deeper than that, as if I’d tasted a version of this exact wine before—turns out that I had.
Several years ago, when I personally visited the cellars of Domaine Bitozuet-Prieur, I sampled today’s 2017 “Clos des Chênes” from barrel. And now, at five years old, it’s blossomed into an exceptionally gorgeous and regal treat for red Burgundy collectors. Truly, this Pinot Noir has all the bases covered: a revered, should-be-Grand Cru vineyard; bonafide classic craftsmanship in the cellar; universally high praise from the global wine press; and a long, exponentially exciting life ahead of it. Unfortunately, it’s rare to the nth degree: Just 50 cases made it into America, and we only have a handful of them. If you collect fine and rare Burgundy, this is an ironclad investment opportunity not to be missed. Think it’s great now? Wait until 2025…2030…2040.
BONUS: We also have a few magnums at our disposal. Click here to secure one of them.
The Bitouzet family has been farming in Volnay since the early 1800s and were among the first families in the village to bottle their own wines. While Volnay is home to dozens of Premier Crus, there is near-universal agreement that five historic vineyards—Premier Crus “Clos des Chênes,” “Taillepieds,” “Caillerets,” “Champans,” and “Santenots”—produce the village’s top wines. These are Volnay’s unofficial “Grand Crus.” Furthermore, if one seeks the ultimate detail, finesse, and intoxicating Pinot Noir aromatics in a village revered for such traits, many whittle this already-short list down to Clos des Chênes.
Vincent Bitouzet owns a scant 0.5 hectares here, from vines planted between 1976-1986. He farms organically and all fruit is harvested by hand. This restraint is echoed in the cellar: The mostly de-stemmed grapes are vinified slowly and naturally in stainless steel with no heavy-handed technology, and after 16 months of maturation in French oak (no more than 20% new), the wines are gently bottled and further cellared. The end goal of the entire process is to produce wines that can mature for many years while gradually enhancing their aromatic and structural composition.
Generally, one should wait five years from the vintage before consuming one of Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur’s top Pinot Noirs. The family’s wines are seldom open/generous upon release, but they promise to pay massive dividends to those patient enough to wait—especially so for a classically nuanced and transparent vintage like 2017. Even at five years old, today’s “Clos des Chênes” is only just beginning to shed its reticence and won’t be fully firing until 2025, or plateauing until at least 2030. Make no mistake, though: this is already a glorious, intricately chiseled, deeply elegant Pinot Noir that would be a cashmere-adorned Harvard athlete in human form. In the glass, slow-churning waves of red and black cherry, wild strawberry, hibiscus, damp violet, and Damson plum are coaxed out with ample air, all of which are propped up on a soft bed of crushed stone, iron, moss, baking spice, and aged tea leaf. The palate is medium-bodied and wonderfully graceful with a delicate profundity that’s present in every sip. If you absolutely must open a bottle now, please decant for no less than 90 minutes.
