Domaine Bernard Delagrange Volnay

Ugh!

Slow-oxed for a couple of hours, decanted for sediment (minimal) then followed over a few more hours. A bit funky right out of the bottle but that blew off pretty quickly to reveal sweet, aged Pinot fruit. Light to medium bodied with medium+ acidity. On the palate this started more savory than sweet with beef jus, forest floor and tart cherry fruit just peeking through. With time in the decanter this only got younger, until my last and best glass …

EWG Dealer's Choice (A/K/A Bistro, Pasadena, CA) : This bottle was much better than the last. Aromas of earthy mushrooms above black cherry and pepper. Lengthy palate if not complex. Lean and hard with strong acidity and tannin still. Iron like minerals and pepper keep it interesting. Good.

EWG does LQ @ SK (Starry Kitchen, Los Angeles) : Served blind. Baked or stewed fruits with a distinct chemical aroma. Lean and clean with bright acids but not much in the way of expression. An odd wine and I never would have guessed it was 20 years old even if there were hints of maturity. Not very pleasant overall.

Slow-oxed for 6 hours. Light ruby core, moderate bricking, clear meniscus. Upon opening the nose was dusty and autumnal, but with air baked sour cherries and dried flowers emerged. Surprisingly prominent acidity, a touch of tart cherry and raspberry fruit, black tea and forest floor. This is rustic and has lost most of its fruit, but still provides a lot of pleasure.

Past its prime. Acidity overshadows any semblance of fruit.

Over the past two months, I have consumed three bottles of this wine. One seemed tired, faded and pushing the limits of drinkability. But for the other two, I was surprised by both the freshness and the purity of the fruit. The bottles were ex-domaine, so the impeccable provenance helped, but these were eminently drinkable. The tannins have resolved, leaving behind fresh, bright cherry and cranberry flavors and a focused, if not especially complex, elegance. I can't think of another …

Bad bottle-this was rather strange as it started off with some earthy aromatics which i would not consider out of character. This went into a decanter and within 1/2 hr showed lovely aromatics of dried red fruit some sous bois etc.. yet when tasted there was a big hole in the mid palate to be followed with a sharp acidic finish. With more time the color got darker and in any aspect the wine showed properly but the shrill flavors …

Disappointing in the extreme - was brick red and tasted past its best

disappointing - past its best