WTN: 1995 Jean-Marc Bouley Volnay

[Brad Ballinger]

1995 Jean-Marc Bouley Volnay. I picked up this wine for only about $15 on a closeout not too terribly long ago. It could've been sitting on the retail shelf for a few years depending on when it was put into the racking. But I'll spend $15 in the interest of science. The wine showed some bricking about an inch into the bowl of the stem. My wife asked, "Does this wine look brown to you?" I tried to tell her that many times that's okay, but she just gave me a sideways look (no mature nebbiolo for her!). The wine had some earthy and tart berry aromas with a trace of spice. On the palate the fruit was very attractive, if a bit lean and diluted. Acidity was good. Tannins were dusty. The sum of the parts made for an austere, yet balanced package. It did a serviceable job accompanying grilled venison sausage, and left me with a more favorable impression then I initially thought it would. Toward the end of the bottle, the fruit came on a bit more, but the structure dropped off. It's worth seeing if I can find more at the price -- next time I'm in the store (I'm not going to go out of my way).