Estimate
Vibrant ruby. Smoky, tarry, scorched earth becoming chaparral-infused scents of forest floor, dusty cherries. Almost medium-bodied, bold but elegant, with a satiny texture, tastes of red cherries, clove, allspice. A vixen of a Volnay.
Cuvée Gauvain comes from plots in Les Santenots du Milieu and Les Plures. The total area of the vineyards is 3.5 acres and they are located on hillsides on Volnay's southern border. The cuvée is named for Bernard Gauvain, a wealthy land owner who left everything to the Hospice de la Charité when he died in 1804. His widow later bequeathed their magnificent home to the municipality and it is now the seat of the Union of Burgundy Negociants. Wines from the Volnay-Santenots hillsides are among the first in the area to ripen, and they are prized as the source of rich, complex and elegant wines. Christie's Auction Catalog: "purple-ruby, with very ripe, fragrant aromas, which are subtly spicy. On the palate...full and luscious...shows the inimitable finesse of its great, First Growth Volnay terroir. Tannins are firmly present..."