2018 Volnay 1er Cru, Les Mitans, Domaine Michel Lafarge

"The 2018 Volnay Les Mitans 1er Cru has an absolutely glorious bouquet of perfumed black cherries, blueberry, potpourri and light violet aromas that are understated and yet focused and delineated. The palate is medium-bodied with a precise opening, and very harmonious and sensual. Pure, mineral-driven red fruit defines the effortless finish. Stunning." Vinous 93-95p

"The 2018 Volnay 1er Les Mitans comes from a tiny 0.39 hectare of vines planted in 1952 and 1976 and located on a south-facing slope. The soils here are more brown clay with some underlying limestone, and the wine is destemmed and brought up in 15% new French oak. It's another wine that needs air, continuing to show well over the multiple days I had the bottle open. Beautiful ripe black cherry and black raspberry fruits as well as darker, earthy herbs, camphor, and spicy wood all emerge from the glass, and it's medium-bodied, with a wonderfully pure, elegant style, nicely integrated acidity, and outstanding length. As with the other 2018s here, the purity and precision are spot on. Give bottles 2-4 years and enjoy over the following 10-15." Jeb Dunnuck 95p

"Noble reduction is often a feature of the Lafarge reds at this stage in their development, but it's nothing to worry about, given how they mature in bottle. This sweetly oaked Premier Cru comes from two parcels totally 0.4ha in the lower part of the village on stony, brown soils close to the border with Pommard. Floral, textured and focused with a spine of tannin and acidity." Decanter  94p

"The 2018 Volnay 1er Cru Mitans is built for the long haul, unwinding in the glass with notes of cassis, dark chocolate, sweet soil tones and potpourri. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with an ample chassis of rich, powdery tannins and lively balancing acids." Wine Advocate 92-94p

"The 2018 Mitans is another excellent wine in the making from Domaine Lafarge in this vintage. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a youthful blend of black cherries, black plums, French roast, pigeon, a very complex base of soil tones, woodsmoke and a nice touch of bitter chocolate in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite transparent in profile, with a lovely core of sappy black fruit, excellent focus and grip and fine-grained tannins perking up the long, complex and vibrant finish. Another absolutely superb bottle in the making." John Gilman 93p

"A wonderfully pure, airy and attractively fresh nose requires plenty of swirling to reveal the spicy red currant cherry, floral and herbal tea scents. There is excellent intensity to the mineral-driven middle weight flavors that possess a supple mid-palate that is almost delicate while displaying fine length on the silky-textured finish. A classic Mitans of lace and grace." Burghound 91-93p