Exhibiting aromas of raspberries, vine smoke, warm spices, wintergreen and orange zest, the 2021 Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots-du-Milieu is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with an enveloping core of cool, vibrant fruit and a rich, sensual profile. Transcending stereotypes of the vintage, it's a beautiful bottling in the making.

The 2020 Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots-du-Milieu is excellent, wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of wild berries, plums and cassis mingled with hints of spices, grilled meats and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's deep and tightly wound, with powdery structuring tannins and lively acids. This is a serious Santenots that will require some bottle age, and it's among the best that I can remember tasting chez Lafon over the last decade.

Aromas of plums, wild berries, rose petals, warm spices and raw cocoa introduce Lafon's 2019 Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots-du-Milieu, a medium to full-bodied, bright and precise wine that's layered and concentrated, with an elegant, refined profile that's finer-boned than its more muscular 2018 predecessor. This is very promising.

Lafon's finest red this year is, as usual, the 2018 Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots-du-Milieu, a wine that combines the finesse of the Clos des Chênes with the power and depth of the Champans. Exhibiting a complex bouquet of cherries, smoky wild berries, rich soil tones, violets and dark chocolate, it's medium to full-bodied, lively and concentrated, with refined tannins and a sense of controlled power.

The 2017 Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots-du-Milieu confirms its strong showing from barrel, soaring from the glass with scents of ripe cherries, red berries, rose petals, orange rind and a deft touch of toasty new oak. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with melting tannins, succulent acids and a charming, supple profile that makes it hard to resist.