98

Jeb Dunnuck

Jeb Dunnuck

The 2018 Volnay 1er Clos Du Chateau Des Ducs is more expressive and showy right out of the gate and has a complex, sexy, incredibly impressive style that's a joy to drink. Ripe cherries, mulberries, rose petals, Asian spices, dried herbs, and incense all emerge from this beauty, and it's as seamless and layered as they come, with ripe, velvety tannins, no hard edges, medium to full body, and flawless balance. It's already drinking nicely yet will cruise for 20+ years in cold cellars. 08/2021

94-96

William Kelley

The Wine Advocate

It will be very interesting to compare the 2018 Volnay 1er Cru Clos du Château des Ducs with the Clos des Chênes 20 years from now. Though the latter has long been the domaine's emblematic bottling, for several years the Lafarge family has taken to presenting Clos du Château des Ducs at the end of the tasting, and it's priced slightly higher too. Destemmed entirely by hand, the wine reveals a generous bouquet of sweet berries, licorice, rich soil tones, black truffles and spice, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate that's more expressive and enveloping, its textural attack segueing into a deep core, concluding with a long and precise finish. 01/2020