Description
Domaine Huber-Verdereau, Volnay “Les Robardelles”
When it comes to red Burgundy’s finest, our goal is to save you money without sacrificing an iota of quality and prestige. For the past few years, that’s been in the form of Thiébault Huber’s stunning “Clos des Chênes,” and although we had the same opportunity with his new release, one of his other Volnays demanded our attention: “Les Robardelles.” Sourced from an old, half-hectare parcel and flanked by four Premier Crus, this limited bottling is peak-of-perfection Pinot Noir that happens to cost $30 less than his darling Premier Cru!
Generally speaking, you’re not getting your hands on Huber’s treasured Volnay collectibles unless you’re knocking on his cellar door or rubbing shoulders with the most fanatical, in-the-know Burg collectors. And even then, those collectors may not have a direct path to purchasing today’s “Les Robardelles.” Case in point: This micro-cuvée is a veritable phantom on the US market, and if you can even find a bottle, from any vintage, you’ll surely shell out more. You’d think our tiny 2019 allocation would have us downhearted, but no, we’re just thrilled to showcase Volnay perfection as seen through a devoutly biodynamic lens. Free Ground Shipping on four bottles.
Thiébault Huber was on the sommelier scene decades ago when he heard vignerons discussing the shift to organics and, on rare occasions, biodynamics. While pouring, talking wine, and smiling, he logged mental notes and, from that, formed ideas—ideas that largely shape the way he runs his micro-domaine today. Further influences came from Jean-Michel of Alsace’s culty Domaine Marcel Deiss and his globally renowned neighbor in Volnay, Frederic Lafarge, where he witnessed the enormous benefits of biodynamics. Because of this, he saw organic farming as a mere stepping stone, a transitional phase towards the greater goal of complete biodynamics, which he achieved in 2005. Coincidentally, that is the same year his wines caught the attention of Burgundy icon Allen Meadows, and from there, his stock surged. Since then, Robinson and Bergman have discovered the magic being created here, but there’s one underlying problem: His top wines are practically untraceable in America!
Huber is from Alsace, and the Verdereau part of his domaine name came from his maternal grandfather, a Volnay vigneron who retired in 1974 with no one in the family to take over his vineyards. The family held onto them, renting them out to others until Thiébault eventually made his way to Volnay and re-established the domaine in the early ‘90s with just a couple of prized hectares. Today, Huber has meticulously expanded to 9.5 hectares of vines spread across numerous appellations, including Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Pommard, and his home base in Volnay.
The village of Volnay produces among the most elegant and gorgeously perfumed reds not only in Burgundy but the world. And while Volnay is home to a substantial network of Premier Crus, overlooking the lieux-dits with mere “village” designations would be a grave mistake. Take “Les Robardelles.” In addition to being surrounded by the Premier Crus of “En Chevret,” “Santenots Dessous,” “En Cailleret,” and “Les Lurets,” the higher-lying vines of “Les Robardelles” are actually designated Premier Cru as well! Just 5-10 meters lower in elevation is where you’ll find Huber’s “modest” village-level parcel which was planted in 1949 and measures just half of one hectare. In the winery, 30% of his biodynamic grapes are left whole cluster and after a brief cold maceration, fermentation occurs in concrete vessels. The resulting wine is transferred into 20% new French barrels for 14 months. It is bottled without filtration.
