2003 Volnay Premier Cru Clos des Ducs

Vinous
Harvested 25th-29th of August: Much fresher than expected, with bright red fruit and no traces of sur maturité on the nose. Well balanced, though the finish is just slightly dry. Even in this hot year the Ducs precision and minerality shows through. Guillaume d’Angerville notes that the Clos des Ducs has a spring near the middle of the vineyard that tends to prevent hydric stress in hot dry years. - Jay McInerney, Dez. 2016

Allen Meadows' Burghound
(from yields of 24 hl/ha). Deep ruby. Like the '05, this is also overtly ripe yet in contrast to the darker fruit of the '05, this displays redder fruit along with nuances of stone, earth and floral hints. There is excellent mid-palate density to the impressively rich and solidly powerful flavors that are supported by plenty of firm structure that is largely buffered by the buckets of sap before culminating in a long and serious if not especially elegant finale. Though this is clearly quite ripe, it would be fair to observe that this is less marked by the extremes of the '03 vintage than most wines. In sum, this is a huge wine by the typical standards of Clos des Ducs yet it remains well-balanced and should age beautifully. Tasted on multiple occasions with consistent notes. - Allen Meadows, März 2017