"En Champans" is one of the most highly regarded vineyards of Volnay. This steeply sloped terroir is very calcareous with a light brown soil and sits at the highest end of the parcel (along the D973). Toward the bottom, the terroir is more clay-driven with earth that vascilates between brown and red. This is a major Volnay cru. The Domaine de Montille vines line up across the slope and benefit from optimal sunshine exposure.
"Champans" comes from the combination of two words, "champ" or "field" and "pans", which means "slope".
A Volnay Premier Cru "En Champans" is a spawning wine that delivers vibrant red fruits (cherries) and a structure of dense tannins that somehow resist rigidity. The palate is ample, structured and thoroughly elegant. This wine tends to open up after seven to 12 years.
The 2019 Volnay 1er Cru Les Champans offers up aromas of red berries, plums, warm spices and wilted rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, lively and unusually charming for a young wine from this site, its pretty core of fruit is framed by supple, melting tannins and bright animating acids.