Volnay Vieilles Vignes Valentin-Rossignol red 2019

Since 1920, Domaine Rossignol-Fevrier has been bottling wines from their family vineyards at the estate. Five generations have cultivated their plots in the center of the Côte de Beaune, with vineyards in Meursault, Volnay, Pommard and Beaune. Today Frédéric Rossignol cultivates 18 hectares biodynamically, Demeter certified since 2009.

The vineyards are planted with a density of 10,000 vines per hectare, with a robust average vine age of 40 years. The cultivation is carefully biodynamic, with the soil worked regularly using special preparations to boost plant vigor and prevent fungal diseases.

Yields average 2.5 tons per acre and each vine is limited to approximately eight grape clusters for even spacing on the vine. This guarantees complete maturation of the clusters, as well as a precise reflection of the characteristics of each particular terroir.

After selection, the red grapes are largely destemmed before being sent to temperature-controlled stainless steel vats for the first alcoholic fermentation. Depending on the quality of the vintage, a very good harvest will see a few whole bunches added to the vats to bring structure and complexity to the finished wine. Fermentation takes place slowly in a cold cellar and the tannic structure is managed by frequent tastings and occasional punching down (pounding of the cap of the skins and seeds) rather than by pumping over.

After alcoholic fermentation and a total vatting period of 18 to 24 days (according to regular tastings), the wines go down into barrels, with an average of 20% new barrels, depending on the appellation, the structure of the wine and the quality of the vintage. . The skins and seeds are lightly pressed to avoid breaking the seeds and extracting bitter tannins. The wines age in oak barrels between 10 and 15 months before bottling depending on their maturation. Red wines are bottled without filtration to preserve their liveliness and energy.

This Volnay comes from five different plots with a minimum vine age of 45 years. It has a nice balance between fruit, acidity and tannin structure as well as a pure expression of terroir with lively strawberry, cherry and mineral notes as well as an earthy/smoky nuance.