Lafarge Volnay 1er cru Clos du Château des Ducs 2002

96 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): " Exotic notes dominated the 2002 Lafarge Volnay Clos des Ducs, especially in the bouquet. Both Volnays were open for business and drinking beautifully. (Feb 2012)"

95 points Fine Wine Review: "Lafarge’s Volnay-Clos du Château des Ducs shows greater structure than the foregoing wines with opulence, length, and depth. 2014-2032. (Issue #103; 2004)"

92 points Allen Meadows (Burghound): "A backward and reserved nose of high-toned and ultra elegant red pinot fruit and crushed raspberry aromas nuanced with subtle earth and dried herb notes gives way to precise, pure and wonderfully detailed flavors blessed with genuinely remarkable length. A classic Volnay in style and character and I very much like this, in particular the subtle, almost delicate finishing minerality. A wine of subtlety and understatement that is great just the same. Drink: 2010+."

92 points Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar): "Medium red. Perfumed, floral aromas of cherry, raspberry, minerals and earth. Sweet, dense and deep, with a silky texture and lovely subtle intensity of flavor. This boasts terrific lift and a light touch. Finishes very long, aromatic and spicy, with compelling sweetness and solid tannins to go with its delicacy of flavor. Complete Volnay. (Mar/Apr 2005)"

92 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2002 rendition of the Clos du Château des Ducs was showing very well in April of ’09, as the wine exudes the pure and vibrant fruit of this pretty vintage. The nose jumps from the glass in a stylish mix of cherries, red plums, cocoa powder, a touch of smoke and a lovely topnote of fresh thyme. On the palate the wine is deep, full, quite tangy and sappy at the core, with excellent focus and really superb length and grip on the bouncy finish that closes with surprising notes of minerality and nutskin. It is interesting how there is little signs of soil on the nose here, and yet the wine has a fine base of minerality on the finish- could it grow some terroir with further bottle age? A lovely 2002. 2013-2035+. (Jan/Feb 2010)"

(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)