The Bitouzets have been farming in Volnay since the early 1800s and were among the first families in the village to bottle their own wines independently. The family’s holdings in Volnay, now overseen by François and Vincent Bitouzet, cover an impressive diversity of village-level and Premier Cru parcels. The vines that produce today’s wine come from the “En l’Ormeau” sub-parcel of the premier cru “Mitans.” This is a decades-old, 0.13-hectare tract located in the center of Volnay. The parcel produces little more than three barrels of wine each vintage; less than 75 cases come into the US each year. 

François and Vincent farm all their parcels organically, relying on zero shortcuts with chemicals or systemic treatments, and all fruit is harvested by hand. This restraint is echoed in the cellar: juice is vinified gently and slowly with no heavy handed winemaking technology and minimal sulfur. The end goal of the entire process is to produce wines that mature in the cellar for many years, and gradually evolve in aromatics and structure. In a region increasingly overrun with estates bottling young-drinking, fruity, “modern” red Burgundy, the Bitouzet family are arch traditionalists. The family’s wines are seldom open and enjoyable upon release, but they offer a consistently impressive reward to those patient enough to cellar the wines.

Bitouzet-Prieur’s 2013 Volnay “Mitans” is a deep, intoxicating well of black and red fruit, with red berries, black cherry, currants, and exquisite floral accents, all supported by a semi-truck full of classic Volnay terroir. Devoted Burgundy enthusiasts with experience drinking top Volnay from the 1970s and ’80s will see a recognizable thruline in today’s 2013 Premier Cru “Les Mitans.” Simply put, there aren’t many Volnays vinified in this style today—that is to say, infinitely cellarable and absolutely bursting with soil character. This bottle is at the beginning of its drinking cycle, and thus may need 90 minutes in the decanter before really showing its stuff. That said, it will go all night thereafter, evolving and becoming more expressive with each passing hour. Most importantly, this bottle will deliver the goods for at least another 6-10 years.  With Bitouzet Volnay, you’re always sacrificing a little young-drinking softness in exchange for a bounty of intrigue and depth as the wine ages. Fortunately, we’ve done the heavy lifting and already stewarded this bottle through it’s awkward adolescence. Now, it’s party time. I’m grabbing a case of this classically styled 2013 vintage for my cellar and I strongly urge my fellow Burgundy-obsessed friends to do the same!