2023 Pierrick Bouley Volnay 1er Cru 'Champans'

Pierrick Bouley has emerged as one of the most exciting young names in the Cote de Beaune, crafting perfumed, precise Pinot Noir from a small domaine centred on Volnay and Pommard. His 2023s earned enthusiastic barrel scores from the world's leading Burgundy critics for their finesse, purity of red fruit and beautifully refined tannins.

Champans is one of Volnay's greatest premiers crus, and Bouley's 2023 is all finesse - elegant, refined and stony, with a composed, sustained finish built for the long haul.

Critic Reviews

94 points - Charles Curtis MW, Decanter
The deeply coloured Champans from Pierrick Bouley is head-to-head with the Clos des Chenes as the top wine in the cellar, but it is hard to go wrong with either. The Champans is just a bit closed on the initial attack but opens up with a deep plum and blackberry fruit aroma with hints of peppery spice and a base note of dark chocolate. The wine feels massive on the palate but is not astringent or heavy. This wine is superb Volnay and very typical of the village.

93 points - Neal Martin, Vinous
The 2023 Volnay Champans 1er Cru (24 months in barrel) has a well-defined bouquet with cranberry, wild strawberry, peppermint and light incense aromas that combine beautifully. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, a core of sweet vanillary red fruit with a dash of spice box towards the composed and sustained finish. This actually works better with longer in barrel than the Santenots. (Drink between 2028-2044) (Original score: 91-93 points)

93 points - Allen Meadows, Burghound
A more elegant and cooler nose reflects notes of the airy essence of red cherry, raspberry and a broader array of spice elements. Like the Grands Champs, the middle weight flavors are not particularly dense but once again they're refined, vibrant and stony while exhibiting fine length. This is lovely and a wine that could be approached after only 5-ish years but should have no difficulty rewarding 10+ years of keeping. (Drink starting 2033) (Original score: 91-93 points)

92 points - Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy
Despite higher yields in the Champans, it retains a fine mid purple colour. A lighter more elegant pinot on the nose. Very elegant, all in finesse, slightly darker fruit, no more than middleweight but with good persistence. (Original score: 90-92 points)