2019 Jehan Emonin Volnay 750 ml

In every Burgundy vintage, a few classic gems slip by the big buyers, the collectors, and the restaurants. This is one of them.

A pale-ruby Volnay beauty from one of the preeminent families of the Côte de Beaune, the satiny yet energetic Jehan Emonin would be a prize to own in any vintage, but in 2019—a year so hotly anticipated that the Wine Advocate website crashed when their Burgundy vintage report went up—it represents a true coup and a priceless acquisition.

The roots of 10th-generation winemaker Vincent Bouzereau stretch back to the 1500s. He’s best known for his tour-de-force Meursaults, but over the decades he’s methodically acquired prime holdings in eight villages, including Volnay.  

While wines from Bouzereau’s namesake domaine can easily cost $100 or more, an alternate label, Jehan Emonin, allows the family to experiment with smaller, often more affordable cuvées. This 2019 release marries the legendary gracefulness of Volnay with the voluptuousness of the vintage in spectacular fashion.

Much of that is due to the meticulous care given to the estate. Vincent Bouzereau works like a madman among the rows, plowing, pruning, debudding, training vines, and repairing stakes almost without pause. His approach is sustainable, verging on biodynamic—he’s even been known to consult moon cycles when deciding the optimal time to bottle. But the bewitching character of the 2019 Jehan Emonin also very clearly owes a debt to the vintage, which the Wall Street Journal called “extraordinary”—and some journalists speculated could be the best year since 1865!

This wine carries itself with nonchalance, but is secretly structured to develop beautifully over the next few years.