2013 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Volnay 1er Cru "Santenots du Milieu"

There are just three barrels of the Volnay 1er Cru Santenots du Milieu this year. It has a dense and concentrated raspberry and wild strawberry bouquet interlaced with minerals, backward and broody as usual. The palate is medium-bodied with tensile tannin, a crisp level of acidity and a finish not unlike the Champans, although this is more opaque and standoffish. In my mind the Volnay Champans has a little more panache, but this has the substance to suggest long-term cellaring will be repaid. (NM)