96 points Decanter
Outer quote mark The Lafarge wines are often some of the palest and most delicate in Burgundy, but don't confuse that with a lack of concentration or intensity. Chalky and pithy yet sweetly, alluringly fruity, this is a beautifully transparent, nuanced expression of a great terroir. Drinking Window 2023 - 2030. (TA) Inner quote mark (10/2018)
94-96 points Vinous
Outer quote mark The 2017 Volnay Clos des Chênes 1er Cru has a deep, broody, almost surly bouquet that gradually unfolds in the glass to reveal blackberry, raspberry and briary aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with firm and grippy tannin on the entry. This feels saline in the mouth, very focused and almost symmetrical in style, building towards a smooth and very harmonious, yet grippy finish that lingers in the mouth. Outstanding.(NM) Inner quote mark (1/2019)
92-95 points Allen Meadows - Burghound
Outer quote mark A brooding but wonderfully fresh nose mingles notes of various red berries, spice, earth and plenty of floral influences. The sleek, intense and muscular large-scaled flavors possess excellent power before culminating in a stony and hugely long finish where the only nit is a touch of warmth. This too is explicitly built for the long haul and is a wine that's going to need at least a decade first. Inner quote mark (4/2019)
94 points John Gilman
Outer quote mark The 2017 Clos des Chênes is again quite remarkable for its extremely red fruity personality this year. The youthful and precise nose is pure and very, very promising, delivering a mix of red plums, cherries, raw cocoa, a complex base of minerality, pigeon, woodsmoke and a nice base of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full and very pure on the attack, with a tightly-knit, but sappy core of fruit, excellent soil complexity, fine-grained tannins and outstanding backend energy on the very, very long and refined finish. (Drink between 2029-2075) Inner quote mark (12/2018)
92-94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Outer quote mark The 2017 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes is the most complex and concentrated wine in the Lafarge cellar, wafting from the glass with notes of sweet plums, spices, candied peel, espresso roast and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with a layered mid-palate framed by an abundance of chalky structuring tannins, concluding with a long, chalky finish. The Lafarge parcel is located at the northeastern extreme of Clos des Chênes where it's more sheltered from the wind than much of the vineyard, which may partially explain why it always seems to stand apart from other domaines' renditions.(WK) Inner quote mark (1/2019)
K&L Notes
93-95pts Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy: "Fine rich deep colour, with a very significant density of fruit on the nose, definitely dark raspberry here and very well integrated on the palate with the oak. A royal weight of fruit, ripe enough not to show enormous tension behind, but instead it stretches out to a magically long finish. Glorious Tasted: November 2018."
