A monumental wine, with super-ripe black cherry and currant fruit accented with rose petals, liquorice, smoke and minerals. Dense and full-bodied in texture, yet vibrantly fresh and superbly long- a marvel. Anyone who thinks Lafon is only about white wine is missing this epic experience. Volnay Santenots is arguably among the top red wines of the Côte de Beaune, and Santenots-du-Milieu is the best portion of it (Lafon owns nearly half of this appellation). He destems the fruit, does a cold soak and punches down regularly before ageing in cask (one-third new).

(93-95 points) The 2020 Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots-du-Milieu is excellent, wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of wild berries, plums and cassis mingled with hints of spices, grilled meats and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's deep and tightly wound, with powdery structuring tannins and lively acids. This is a serious Santenots that will require some bottle age, and it's among the best that I can remember tasting chez Lafon over the last decade.

(91-94 points) A mentholated top note is present on the ripe but fresh aromas of poached plum, black raspberry coulis and pretty spice nuances like those found in jasmine tea. The sleek and markedly intense big-bodied and concentrated flavors retain a lovely sense of detail on the lingering, textured, stony and powerful finale. As is usually the case, this is the best of the Lafon reds though in 2020, it appears to barely best the Champans.

The 2020 Santenots du Milieu chez Lafon is excellent. The wine delivers a refined aromatic constellation of cassis, dark berries, French roast, spit-roasted gamebird, a touch of dark chocolate, a beautiful base of soil, bonfire, violets and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with a plush core of fruit, excellent mineral drive, ripe, fine-grained tannins, tangy acids and excellent focus on the long, complex and vibrant finish. Great juice.

(92-94 points) The 2020 Volnay Les Santenots-du-Milieu 1er Cru is very well defined on the nose with blackberry, boysenberry, crushed violets and light incense aromas, opulent yet controlled. The palate is medium-bodied with some oak to be subsumed on the entry, modest depth, sleek and sensual with a spicer finish than the Champans. Likewise, it will require 4-6 years in bottle before it is at full flight. Bottled under Diam 30. Closure: Diam 30