Wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, plums, raw cocoa and sweet soil tones, Clerget's 2020 Volnay 1er Cru Clos du Verseuil is medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, with lively acids, supple tannins and a long, saline finish. Despite its elegant, polished profile, it also has plenty of substance to develop in the cellar.

I have been unmoved by recent efforts from Yvon Clerget. The 1991s were hard and thin, the 1992s dilute, and the 1993s exhibit frightening levels of the vintage's hardness, astringent tannin, and physiologically immature fruit characteristics. They are all cleanly made, with moderate quantities of tart red fruits, medium body, and ferociously hard tannin in the finish. I do not understand why wines such as these have elicited so much enthusiasm elsewhere, as they are stubborn, backward, and unlikely to ever open. (This wine was not individually reviewed.) Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 319-8768

In all fairness to Clerget, the 1990s had just been bottled when I tasted them. But even allowing for that, I felt his 1990s were relatively compact, medium-weight wines, with adequate color, but they were often too woody and tannic, especially in view of their moderate levels of extraction. While the recent bottling no doubt suppressed some charm, the lack of richness as well as the relative degree of tannic harshness gives me cause for concern.