Lafarge Volnay 1er cru Cinq Climats 2021

94+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "I never would have imagined tasting this wine in the Lafarges’ cellars, but necessity is the mother of invention. On the surface, the relatively black fruity personalities of Mitans, Pitures and Clos des Chênes would not seem likely to marry well with the generally more red fruity profiles of Caillerets and Clos du Château des Ducs, but they actually synthesize remarkably well together and have produced a dazzlingly complex and elegant blended Premier Cru in 2021. The bouquet is nicely red fruity in personality, offering up scents of red plums, cherries, gamebird, a beautifully complex base of soil tones, bonfire, raw cocoa, vanillin oak and a spicy topnote that it probably gets from the Caillerets in the blend. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and focused, with a great core of fruit, superb soil signature, fine-grained tannins and a long, complex finish that closes with superb energy and lift. Very, very impressive. 2035-2085. (Nov/Dec 2022)"

94 points Charles Curtis, MW (Decanter): "An almost tragic cuvée – Lafarge did not produce enough wine to make any of his premier cru wines from Volnay as a stand-alone appellation, and all five are blended here into a single premier cru bottling. The result has a fairly deep ruby hue, a lovely plummy fruit, and lots of aromatic intensity. It is a wine of outstanding quality, given the circumstances, with fresh acidity, good density and supple tannins. Lafarge remarked 'It has both the generosity of the Clos des Chênes, the minerality of Taillepieds, and the noblesse of the Clos du Château des Ducs.’ Drinking Window: 2027-2040. (1/11/22)"

94 points Christy Canterbury, MW (TimAtkin.com): "This is the first time the domaine has made a cuvée of all of its Premier Crus. So determined was the family to make an excellent wine with the little fruit they harvested, Frédéric said they destemmed everything by hand. Then, everything was pressed and vinified together. It is a pretty, elegant and perfumed wine – a truly complete Volnay Premier Cru. Marasca cherries and blueberries mingle with earthy and gamey undertones. The wholesome, flattering palate showcases sleek tannins and gently cleansing acidity. (2023)"

92-94 points Jasper Morris, MW (Inside Burgundy): "All made in one tank and destemmed by hand. The colour is no deeper than the other wines. Waiting for the nose to appear. Then an extraordinary sense of harmony, with a lovely fresh peppery touch beneath, a few quality tannins. Frédéric is enjoying himself by picking out all the bits and pieces from the different vineyards: the tannins of Clos des Chênes, minerality of Caillerets, the suave fruit of Clos du Château. The harmony is astonishing but I doubt if they will do it again! Drink from 2027-2035. (Oct 2022)"

91-94 points/'Sweet spot/Outstanding,' Allen Meadows (Burghound): "(this is a combination of the domaine's five Volnay 1ers, which has never happened before; note that it will likely have a cuvée name). A wonderfully floral-suffused nose is exuberantly spicy on the cool red berry fruit aromas. There is both excellent vibrancy and mid-palate density to the overtly mineral-driven medium-bodied flavors that conclude in a moderately austere and firm finish that flashes impressive depth and length. This is lovely, with the development potential to match, as this should reward a decade plus of keeping. Drink: 2031+. (Apr 2023)"