Volnay Clos des Ducs 2020 (75 CL)

Readers will have a fun time debating the relative merits of d'Angerville's 2018, 2019 and 2020 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs in 20 years' time, as for now it is a very close-run thing. The 2020 is certainly superb, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet cherries, plums and berries mingled with spices, orange zest, peony and discreet hints of oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and seamless palate that's bright, elegant and rich but refined. Of the trio, it's probably the 2020 that carries the sunshine and warmth of the vintage the most lightly, even though the year was, on paper, the most extreme. (WK, 1/2023)