D’Angerville’s 2008 Volnay Clos des Angles – representing a newly-acquired parcel in that cru whose fruit they elected not to blend into the premier cru cuvee – combines by now familiar red raspberry and red currant with salted beef juices, here including a peat-like smokiness and peppery pungency that point toward the neighboring vineyards of Pommard. This surpasses the 1er cru cuvee in cut, brightness, penetration, and mouth-watering savor – a paradigm of 2008 which some tasters are bound to find too tart and spare but which I expect will prove deliciously versatile for 10-12 years. Guillaume d’Angerville and Renaud de Villette had good reason for their upbeat assessment of 2008 quality given the vintage’s travails, notably July hail that ravaged their Champans and parts of their villages and Bourgogne holdings, as well as touching other sites. The hail came too soon in the season, though, to have ill-effects on the eventual health of the fruit, and the team did not start picking until the 27th of September. With the exception of Clos des Ducs and Taillepieds – bottled the week of my April visit, but showing no ill-effects, au contraire – the 2008s were bottled in early March. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400