2015 Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru "Champans"

In 1507, a royal officer, secretary of the accounts, was sent to Volnay to make an inventory of the former properties of the Dukes of Burgundy, now in the hands of the crown of France. An epidemic of plague discouraged the officer from entering Volnay. To fulfill his mission, he asked thirty-eight Volnaysians to make a “fair and accurate” survey of the Volnay estate. This survey is part of a huge volume, about twelve centimeters thick, dated 1507, which is preserved in the municipal archives of Dijon. The description is indeed accurate. We recognize the Volnay appellations that are still well known today (Champans, Caillerets, Fremiet, Taillepieds, etc.), and the report specifies in particular that "the King has an undivided third party in the Sous Roiches vines, that these vines are worked 52 and a half, that the total of the King's vines amounts to 275 vineyards, mainly located in Caillerets, Fremiet, Champans, l'Ormeau and Taillepieds.

The vines designated by the term “assises Sous Roiches” are in reality the Clos des Ducs, which the villagers could not call so without risking the wrath of their new sovereign. But the magnificent Clos des Ducs, formerly owned by the Dukes of Burgundy, eventually kept its name and even today its surface area amounts to around 52 ouvrières (2.15 hectares).

The production of great wines begins with respect for the terroir and control over yields in the vineyard. Cultivation practices are respectful of the soil and the plant, and yields are limited, thanks to quality grape varieties (the work of selecting the best plants by Sem and Jacques d'Angerville resulted in the recognition in the early 1950s of a particularly fine and not very productive variety, called “Pinot d'Angerville”). The soil is worked with a plough and when a vine is uprooted, the plot is left in lucerne for three years before being replanted.

The conversion of Domaine Marquis d'Angerville to biodynamics, started in 2006, was completed in 2009. It is a delicate process that is only possible if the team is convinced. As Pierre Masson said: “…in biodynamic agriculture, the human being is the central element. It is the quality of one's vision, one's ability to perceive situations, one's ability to make a judgement and to act that determines the success of a farm and its sustainability.”

Domaine Marquis d'Angerville owns 3.98 hectares in the Champans appellation, just north of the Caillerets appellation. Two parallel parcels make up the appellation's share (11 hectares in total). They extend from the top to the bottom of the Champans climate and hills, thus benefiting from all the characteristics of this remarkable south-east facing terroir, located in the centre of the Volnay Premiers Crus. The soil is poorer, resting on a rocky limestone bench at the top of the hill, while the slope decreases towards the bottom, becoming more clayey, stony and deep.

Historically classified Têtes de Cuvée de Volnay, Champans is the archetype of the great Volnay 1er cru: finesse, fullness and length on the palate with an extra generosity and power specific to it. Depending on the vintage, it deserves 5 to 10 years of aging to fully reveal itself, but it is generally easier to approach young than Taillepieds or Clos des Ducs.

FACT : The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will often also receive a nice discount. You will see the possible discount immediately if you choose Pick up on the Checkout page. We are located almost next to the Rijksweg with plenty of parking. Click here for address.