WINE OF THE WEEK: CELLAR EDITION - 2009 Louis Latour Volnay “En Chevret” Premier Cru — Wine It Up A Notch

We are doing a cellar edition pick this week because we dug into our cellar and found a beauty to enjoy that is (in our opinion) in just the right window to enjoy it. It’s August 2023 as we are writing this by the way….if you’re wondering.

A quick Google search reveals that this wine doesn’t seem to be readily available on the open market any longer but perhaps you can pick it up in a secondary market or you have a bottle in your collection. If so, we hope this post will prove useful to you.

Alternatively, perhaps you are considering a more recent vintage of this wine. In this case, this post should be helpful too. Bottom line - if you can buy this bottling in a good vintage year, buy it. It’s a good value play.

Keep reading on to learn what you need to know about this wine.

2009 Louis Latour Volnay En Chevret Premier Cru

This week’s wine comes from the esteemed region of Burgundy, France. More specifically, Volnay is a village that is located in the bottom half of the Côte d’Or, which is one of the “macro” regional appellations in Burgundy.

Even more specifically, Volnay is located in the Côte de Beaune. The Côte de Beaune is the sister region to the Côte de Nuits - together, they make up the Côte d’Or.

Generally speaking, the Côte de Beaune is more highly regarded for its white wines, though red and rosé wines are also produced here. Volnay is one of the few villages in this area that produces red wines exclusively. In case you didn’t know - because this is Burgundy we are talking about, the wines are made exclusively from the Pinot Noir grape.

What does this wine cost?

It’s hard to say what this wine specifically costs today. As noted above, it is not necessarily readily available on the open market. However, a quick Google search suggests that the current vintage of this wine is retailing for about $150 in the United States.

Where does this wine come from?

As noted above, this wine hails from the village of Volnay which is located in the renowned region of Burgundy, France.

Burgundy is often referred to as the "heart of France's wine country" as it has a rich and long history of winemaking that is attributed to monks and monasteries, contains one of the most complex codification of vineyards in the entire world and boasts a rich tapestry of terroirs. Many wine lovers would agree that Burgundy is the source of some of the most exquisite wines in the world.

Volnay, nestled within the Côte de Beaune region of Burgundy, is an appellation consisting of approximately 250 hectares of vineyards. It is neighboured by other famous villages, namely Pommard, Mersault and Monthelie and is celebrated the world over for its red wines that distinctly epitomizes finesse and elegance over power and structure.

The terroir of Volnay is a mosaic of factors that contribute to the distinctive character of its wines. The combination of limestone-rich soils, optimal sun exposure, and the area's unique mesoclimate lead to a situation in which Pinot Noir expresses itself with an ethereal quality and grace.

Check out the map below to get a closer view on the Volnay appellation and all of its nuances!

***Map of the Volnay appellation, including all Premier Cru, Grand Cru, Village and Regional vineyards (source: BIVB)***

Why is this wine unique?

This is a “Premier Cru” (En Chevret is one of 29 Premier Crus in the Volnay appellation) that is made by a top notch producer in the Cote d’Or. It is a high quality bottling. Also, importantly, it is a single vineyard wine (a moniker of quality and terroir expression).

Fun facts - En Chevret is a Premier Cru vineyard in Volnay, that is 6 hectares in size and is said to be named after goats! It is located below the larger and more famous Cailleret Premier Cru vineyard and contains brown clay-limestone soils atop Oxfordian limestone.

See below for more information about Louis Latour.

Who makes this wine?

This wine is produced by Louis Latour, a well established and well known negotiant-grower in the Cote d’Or.

Undoubtedly one of the well established and known negociants-growers in Burgundy, Maison Latour’s history as growers in the Cote de Beaune dates back to the early 1700s, while the negociant operations were commenced in the mid 1800s. Today, the business is run by the 7th generation of Louis Latours.

Louis Latour produces wines from all across the benchmark region that is Burgundy, including wines from numerous heralded Premier and Grand Cru sites. All of their wines are produced at their own facility. As such, though the grapes for this wine are not grown/farmed by Louis Latour (they instead purchase the grapes from growers with whom they have a long term relationship and partnership), the wine is produced by them.

Click here to learn more about Maison Latour.

A few Wine Geek “essential facts” about the wine (feel free to skip this if you don’t care about detailed wine-making information!):

Grape Variety - Pinot Noir

Soils - clay and limestone

Vine Age - approximately 25 years

Harvest - by hand

Fermentation - Traditional, open vats

Maturation - 10-12 months in French oak; barrels from the Latour cooperage, medium toast (35% new)

ABV - 13.5%

Residual Sugar - 2 g/L

Wineitupanotch tasting notes:

Smooth, light and elegant are the words to describe this wine best.

The fruit (red and black berries, red plums) is still very present so many years after bottling. With a solid finish, silky and well integrated tannins, noteworthy acidity and an overall ethereal quality, this wine disappears pretty quickly without notice in a wine lover’s glass.

Aging potential:

Drink now.

Recommendations to Wineitupanotch:

This wine can hold its own with a nice cut of beef or veal, a goat curry or mature cheeses.

Wineitupanotch Wine Score: 92 points

Very elegant, round and sumptuous. Drinking beautifully right now.

FINAL VERDICT:

As we’ve noted above, this exact wine may not be easy to come by. However, if you can find a more recent vintage, do consider this bottling. If the vintage season was right, you’ll likely be quite pleased with what you get in the glass for the price that you’ve paid.

If you’ve tried this wine already, or decide to pick it up and try it after reading this post, we’d love to hear from you and hear what you think of it! Please do drop us a line.

Until next time, wishing you love, light and of course - good wine!……

Cheers…..XOXO