Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 2022

"Every pump is bad," Michel Lafarge famously told writer Remington Norman — a philosophy that's guided this domaine since well before the French Revolution, when the Lafarges first began making wine in Volnay. Michel joined his father in 1946 and worked alongside his own son Frédéric right up until shortly before his passing, celebrating his 90th birthday still bright, alert, and fully present at the domaine; today Frédéric, his wife Chantal, and their daughter Clothilde continue the family's remarkably unbroken stewardship. The estate converted first to organic and then, by 2000, to full biodynamic farming — a decision cemented after a blind tasting arranged by Anne-Claude Leflaive convinced the family that biodynamically farmed fruit from the same vineyard was simply, undeniably superior. This village Volnay is assembled from nine different parcels of old vines scattered throughout the village, destemmed by hand and aged in predominantly used barrels — a genuinely holistic expression of the appellation's inherent strength and grace, sitting just below the domaine's smaller-production "Vendanges Sélectionnées," which is only made in generous years from parcels bordering the Premier Crus.

The result shows exactly the "haunting perfume" critics have long associated with Lafarge: violet, rose, and dark cherry on the nose, with lively acidity, a touch of white pepper, and fine, silky tannins carrying through a smooth, elegant palate. Jasper Morris MW has repeatedly scored recent vintages in the low 90s, noting "smoothly charming" fruit returning effortlessly behind firm structure built for real ageing.