Lafarge Volnay 1er cru Caillerets 2001

93 points Fine Wine Review: "The Volnay-Caillerets has a lovely elegance that contrasts with the relative power of the Clos du Château des Ducs. As this is a new acquisition for Lafarge, I have no track record on which to estimate its maturity curve, but perhaps 8-10 years is a good estimate here, too. (Issue #98; 2004)"

93 points CellarTracker.com community score.

89-92 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2001 Caillerets has turned out as well and perhaps even slightly ahead of the Clos des Chênes. The nose offers up scents of pretty red fruit, with notes or raspberry, red cherries, coffee, woodsmoke, minerals, herb tones, incipient notes of forest floor, a touch of gamebirds and spicy wood wafting from the glass. On the palate the wine is medium-full, complex and shows a bit more underlying acidity than the Clos des Chênes, with good ripe tannins and solid acids on the tangy finish. There are a touch of tannins that perk up on the finish, which will require a few years of cellaring to soften, but this looks to be a wine that will age primarily on its tangy acids. (Feb 2003)"

91 points/'Outstanding,' Allen Meadows (Burghound): "(the second vintage for this wine as the Lafarge's acquired 7ouvrées, or around .3 ha of 40 year old vines; as other domaines reported as well, Caillerets was perhaps the least damaged 1er in Volnay). Sweet black fruit aromas contribute to an elegant, wonderfully pure nose followed by sappy, clean, delicious, mouth filling, intense flavors and a punchy yet altogether serious finish. A knockout performance for the vintage. (Apr 2004)"

(Note on bottle condition: These older Lafarge wines are from a perfect French cellar, and its relatively high humidity has incurred some mold and cosmetic degradation of the labels. These cellar conditions are identical to the Lafarge cellars themselves, where bottles are not labeled until immediately prior to shipment, as they're blanketed with black mold until that point. The bottles are otherwise pristine with excellent fills and capsules. Images may be furnished upon request. -WHWC, May 2024)