2023 Volnay Fremiets 1. Cru Marquis d'Angerville

The 2023 Volnay Fremiet 1er Cru has a taut and fresher nose than the Clos des Angles, with touches of oyster shell filtering through the bright red fruit. The palate is ripe on entry, silky smooth in texture, and this displays fine delineation. There is more grip and backbone here with a sapid, peppery finish that lingers. This has a sensuality that I hope is captured once in bottle.

The 2023 Volnay 1er Cru Fremiet is deeper-pitched than Les Angles, wafting from the glass with notes of raspberries, plums and licorice. It's medium to full-bodied, supple and charming, with a succulent core of fruit, polished tannins and a saline finish

(from a 1.57 ha parcel). Here there is a vaguely liqueur-like quality to the aromas of black cherry, kirsch and poached plum along with a similar hint of violet. The rich and delicious medium weight flavors are rich to the point of being generous before tightening up noticeably on the markedly firmer, serious and palate soaking finish. This will need at least a few years of cellaring to unwind but the cellaring potential seems clear.