Monthelie-Douhairet-Porcheret Volnay Les Serpens 2020
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Headquartered in Monthélie, in the heart of the Côte de Beaune, Domaine Douhairet-Porcheret covers eight hectares of vineyards in Monthélie, Pommard, Volnay, and Meursault. The estate is over 300 years old and located behind the Church of Monthélie in the center of the village. The Douhairet family ran Monthélie Douhairet (as it was called) for many years. In 1989, Mademoiselle Douhairet asked renowned winemaker André Porcheret to take charge and added his name to the domaine.
A significant figure in Burgundy for the past half-century, André had been the cellar manager at the Hospices de Beaune from 1976 to 1988 and again from 1994 to 1999. He was well known in the region, both as a traditionalist and someone who was not afraid to push the boundaries. In 1988, Lalou Bize-Leroy hired him to become the winemaker at the newly created Domaine Leroy, where he stayed from 1988 to 1993 while still making the wines at his estate in Monthélie.
His granddaughter, Cataldina Lippo, joined him at the domaine in 2004, and while she learned from the man himself, she and her partner, Vincent, are now at the helm. They have brought great energy, passion, a touch of modernism, and a refined style. The wines show more fruit and are more precise yet still showcase the appellation from where they come.
The work in the vineyard is meticulous and shows their commitment to the land; herbicides and pesticides are banned, and harvest is always done by hand.
The wines from Cataldina and Vincent walk that beautiful line between classic and modern, with high-tone fruit, a clear sense of place and energy.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
On the hillsides between Pommard and Meursault, Volnay is one of two villages in the Côte de Beaune of Burgundy that is recognized for its extraordinary Pinot Noir. Pommard is the other; the rest of the villages are most known for some of the most exceptional Chardonnay in the world. While Volnay Pinot Noir tends to be light in color and more delicate than that of Pommard, they typically stand on par with each other in regards to quality and demand.
Volnay can’t claim any Grands Crus vineyards but more than half of it has achieved Premier Cru status. Volnay Premiers Crus vineyards stretch across the entire village from northeast to southwest, abutting and actually falling “into” Meursault. Where they merge is a vineyard called Les Santenots. Pinot Noir grows in this Meursault Premier Cru but since that village is most associated with stellar whites, the Pinot Noir from Les Santenots, takes the name Volnay Santenots. Immediately above it are Volnay’s other prized Premier Cru, Le Cailleret, Champans, Clos des Chênes and Le Cailleret.
Volnay Pinot Noir are earthy with red or blue fruit. Aromas such as smoke, herbs, forest, cocoa and spice are common and on the palate they are gorgeous and concentrated with finesse but won’t truly charm you without some age.