Bitouzet-Prieur, Volnay 1er Cru Les Aussy, 2002

A library Volnay from one of the appellation's most classical addresses, drinking at its full peak. Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur, run by Francois Bitouzet, has long been a quietly excellent Volnay specialist — gentle extraction, restrained elevage, transparent terroir expression. Les Aussy is a 1er Cru on the lower mid-slope of Volnay just below Champans (and is in practice incorporated into the neighboring Le Ronceret climat since 2006): a parcel that produces a quintessentially supple, silken Volnay (the most open and approachable of François Bitouzet's premier crus). 2002 was one of the great classical Burgundy vintages — bright acidity, fine tannin, beautifully balanced — and twenty-three years on, this wine is in its sweet spot. The fruit has dried into red cherry and cranberry, the perfume turned to rose and forest floor, the texture gone silken. Sweet earth, tea leaf, dried herb, gentle Volnay lift. Drink now and over the next several years.