As in all of the best villages in Burgundy, it is from the varying make-ups of soil and exposition that the principal differences occur. Vine-age, viticultural and winemaking techniques also play critical roles but fundamentally, it is the type of soil and its mix in the vineyard and the exposure of the vines to the elements that will give birth to the wine’s truest character.

Generally speaking, the Volnay soils are lighter than in neighbouring Pommard and it is this, no doubt, that encourages the “feminine” description. However, as you move around the village and even within the same vineyard, subtle changes are clearly visible. Vineyards higher up the slope tend to have thinner top-soils meaning that wines will tend more towards minerality and away from fleshiness; on the Meursault side, soils are noticeably redder and with more stones, giving wines with a less obvious acid profile, more weight and richness; in Les Mitans and Brouillards (on the Pommard side) there is more clay, again promoting a bigger style and so on.

Exploring the vineyards on foot, you can feel the differences as the soil sticks to your feet or cracks beneath or as the wind catches you in some parts of the slope but not in others; you can smell the iron-rich soils or the dryness of the white, chalky, dusty soils higher up; you can see the differences in colour gradation, gradient and the varying amount of tones.
You can also see where gullies and waterflows bring soil, stones and nutrients down andacross the slopes.

In short, the Volnay vineyard is a patchwork quilt or jigsaw puzzle but it is only when tasting that the full picture is revealed: here, the final component, man, is added.

Volnay is lucky to have a plethora of fine and famous names. Pioneers such as the d’Angervilles, living legends such as Michel Lafarge, supreme talents such as Didier Darviot and Richard Fontaine and famous names such as Bouchard Père et Fils and Domaine Leroy.

These vignerons carry on the fame, fate and fortune of the village, bringing to today’s audience their different interpretations of what the village and its wines are about and making for fascinating comparisons. Volnay can be light, pretty, fruity and simple; it can be fragrant, sensual, layered and smooth; it can be austere, serious, profound and grand – in truth it offers immense scale and range and yet in today’s market it continues to be relatively inexpensive and an obvious place to head for outstanding value.