Bitouzet Prieur, Volnay Pitures

Bitouzet Prieur, Volnay Pitures(from 35+ year old vines). An attractively spicy nose freely offers up distinctly cool aromas of red and dark cherry, violet and a touch of forest floor character. There is again excellent verve and very good volume to the rich, muscular and well defined flavors that display fine power on the youthfully austere, compact and dusty finish that is also sneaky long. Like a number of wines in the range, this too is going to require at least a decade of

black fruits and cherry liqueur

(from Ez Crets)

and blackberry

This is a very nice effort in terms of its balance and density but it’s carrying more wood influence than I can personally warm up to as it sweetens and rounds off the finish somewhat

it benefits from the additional freshness and continuity provided by the sensations of mint and tobacco on its lingering finish

cola and medicinal herb

This 91/2020+

This clearly needs to more fully integrate its wood

(89-91)/2023+

a sign of which is the ripping-out of drip lines at the time of my visit that were helpful in establishing the vineyard but whose use Soter is convinced are unnecessary for the future

fig and clove-scented bouquet with more freshness than the whole of Pomerol combined

The Riserva spent 42 months in Slavonian and Austrian oak casks