Bzikot Pere & Fils - Volnay 2018

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Volnay wine is produced in the commune of Volnay in Côte de Beaune of Burgundy, and in some vineyards in the commune of Meursault. The Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) Volnay is only used for red wine with pinot noir as the main grape variety. There are no Grand Cru vineyards within Volnay, but several highly regarded Premier Cru vineyards. The AOC was created in 1937 (87 years ago).

In 2008, there were 206.7 hectares (511 acres) of vineyard surface was in production for Volnay wine at village and Premier Cru level, and 7,733 hectoliter of wine was produced, corresponding to just over 1 million bottles.

The AOC regulations also allow up to 15% total of chardonnay, pinot blanc and pinot gris as accessory grapes in the red wines, but this not very often practiced. The allowed base yield is 40 hectoliter per hectare. The grapes must reach a maturity of at least 10.5% potential alcohol for village-level wine, and 11.0% for Premier Cru wine.

The style of Volnay wine is typically light and aromatic, and elegant rather than powerful, with considerably less tannin than the Pommard wines from the neighboring village.

If upon seeing the name "Bzikot" you thought it didn't sound very French, then you'd be right. Sylvain's grandfather arrived in the village of Puligny from Poland just before the start of the war with nothing but the clothes he stood up in. Over the generations the family has acquired four hectares of vineyards within the celebrated Puligny-Montrachet and Puligny 1er Cru appellations – including Les Perrieres and Les Folatieres. The vineyard area totals 14 hectares. The vines are on average 40 years old. Additionally they own another nine hectares, producing wines under the local Bourgogne Blanc and similar appellations. Although winemaking began in the 1950s when Sylvain entered the picture in the 1990s, all wine was sold to negociants. It was under him that Domaine Bzikot started to bottle and sell directly their wine.

Bzikot Pere & Fils Description

An amazing story not typical of Burgundy, the Bzikot family are Polish emigrés who arrived in Puligny just before the war with nothing but the clothes he stood in. From those very humble beginnings this family domaine has managed to acquire an impressive 4ha of some of the most valuable agricultural land in the world in Puligny-Montrachet. With minimal intervention in the vineyards and cellar, Sylvain Bzikot produces wines that are at one ripe and rich, yet elegant and complex. Affable and fun-loving, he is one of the underground wine making stars of the region.