92 John Gilman - View from the Cellar

"With the problems early on with hail in the Lafon Volnay vineyards in 2008 (which dramatically cut back quantities, but otherwise did not taint the wines), this is one estate where the 2008 reds will forever be in the shadow of the great ‘07s here. The 2007 Santenots du Milieu is a beautiful bottle of young Volnay, as it offers up a classy nose of cherries, plums, raw cocoa, a great base of soil tones, woodsmoke and the faintest whiff of spicy wood. On the palate the wine is fullish, deep and very pure, with outstanding freshness and focus, very modest tannins and lovely balance and grip on the long, complex finish. This will only take a few years to really start drinking well, and should prove to be one of Dominique Lafon’s finest vintages of Santenots du Milieu. 2014-2035."