Volnay

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The Volnay vineyard is situated on the rectilinear escarpment of the Côte de Beaune, stretching approximately 25 kilometres in a general north-east/south-west direction.
• The tectonic relief of the Côte separates the calcareous plateaus of the Hautes Côtes, between 400 and 500 metres in altitude, from the plain of Bresse at approximately 250 metres.
• The relief of the Côte presents an elevation difference of approximately 150 metres, exposing Jurassic sedimentary formations at the surface.
• At the foot of the slope, flaggy Callovian limestones appear, while the upper parts of the hillsides show Oxfordian calcareous clay marls, with a white Argovian limestone at the top of the slope and a Bathonian limestone with ferruginous ooliths in the middle of the slope.
• The soils are weakly developed, generally calcareous, shallow, and free-draining, stonier and leaner on the upper slopes, deeper and more clayey on the benches and at the foot of the slope.
• The climate, dominated by a cool oceanic tendency disrupted by continental or southerly influences channelled along the Rhône–Saône axis, receives moderate rainfall of approximately 750 millimetres per year.
• The Côte, situated to the east of the Morvan massif and the Burgundy plateaus, benefits from a climatic shelter that translates into a notable thermal advantage and a notable rainfall deficit for the region.

• The 1860 classification by the Comité de viticulture de l'arrondissement de Beaune distinguished the various climats of Volnay, among them Caillerets and Santenots, regularly cited by nineteenth-century authors.
• The appellation d'origine contrôlée Volnay was recognised by a decree of 9 September 1937, and a list of climats eligible for the premier cru designation was established in 1943.

• The wines display a ruby colour and are distinguished by their great finesse, with a tannic structure balanced by restrained acidity.
• These wines drink pleasurably young for their fruit expression, but also support bottle ageing of up to 10 years, or even 20 years for the premiers crus, where notes of spice and game emerge while the wines retain their elegance.

• The generally eastward exposure and the topographic position of the delimited parcels give them particular mesoclimatic conditions, protecting them from frost and morning mists while ensuring early warming of the soil.
• The relief, geological diversity, and variety of soils developed encourage, in the wines, a broad palette of nuances that has led producers to differentiate the climats that make up the Volnay viticultural area.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Dénominations géographiques complémentaires

• Volnay premier cru AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Carelle sous la Chapelle AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Champans AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Clos de l'Audignac AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Clos de la Barre AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Clos de la Bousse-d'Or AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Clos de la Cave des Ducs AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Clos de la Chapelle AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Clos de la Rougeotte AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Clos des 60 ouvrées AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Clos des Chênes AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Clos des Ducs AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Clos du Château des Ducs AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Clos du Verseuil AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru En Chevret AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Frémiets AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Frémiets - Clos de la Rougeotte AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru La Gigotte AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Lassolle AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Le Ronceret AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Le Village AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Les Angles AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Les Brouillards AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Les Caillerets AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Les Lurets AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Les Mitans AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Pitures Dessus AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Robardelle AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Santenots AOC (PDO)
• Volnay premier cru Taille Pieds AOC (PDO)

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF)
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — BIVB