Hospices de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru Cuvee Blondeau Eleve par Christophe Roumier, 2005

Here's a Volnay with two famous names attached: the Hospices de Beaune, the historic Burgundy charity hospital whose annual barrel auction is one of the wine world's great rituals, and Christophe Roumier of Domaine Georges Roumier, who handled the aging on this cuvee. The Cuvee Blondeau is a Volnay Premier Cru blend from the Hospices' holdings, raised by one of the Cote de Nuits' most revered hands. Now twenty years on from a celebrated vintage, this is a mature bottle drinking in its prime, with the silky red fruit and savory complexity that Volnay does better than anywhere. The 2005 vintage was a Burgundy benchmark, and these wines have aged gracefully. A rare chance to drink Volnay with this kind of pedigree and age.