The 2020 Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds opens in the glass with aromas of raspberries, blackberries, raw coca, loamy soil and spices. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated, it's layered and vibrant, with terrific intensity without weight. This is an unusually fine-boned Taillepieds that is likely to emerge as the most elegant of the 2018, 2019 and 2020 trio.

The 2019 Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds is unusually refined this year, even if it's still very much a vin de garde, unwinding in the glass with notes of cassis, cherries, dark chocolate, warm spices and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and elegantly muscular, it's deep and layered, with bright acids and beautifully refined tannins.

More muscular than the more ethereal Caillerets that preceded it, the 2018 Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds reveals a deep-pitched bouquet of cherries, wild blueberries, dark chocolate and orange rind, with only subtle hints of the savory nuances to come. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, concentrated and introverted, with powdery tannins, tangy acids and a tight-knit, reserved profile despite its evident sucrosity of fruit.

The 2017 Volnay 1er Cru Les Taillepieds exhibits brooding aromas of plums, cherries, dark chocolate, grilled meat and pungent soil tones, making for one of wilder bouquets in the cellar this year. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and chewy, with broad structural shoulders that are more typical of Taillepieds than they are of the 2017 vintage, defined by tangy acids and fine-grained but rich tannins. This may well be the wine that demands the greatest patience this year.