Caillerets

Les Caillerets takes its name from *caillou* — the French word for pebble — a direct reference to the small limestone stones scattered across the topsoil. That stony ground is inseparable from what makes Volnay Volnay: tight drainage, warm soils, and the mineral precision that runs through the village's finest reds.

Because Volnay has no Grand Cru, Caillerets — alongside Taillepieds and Champans — has long occupied the top of the village hierarchy by practice if not by formal decree. It appeared among the highest-ranked sites in the 19th-century Lavalle classification, and that standing has never really been disputed.

Les Caillerets spans the upper-to-middle slope on the southern side of Volnay. The soils are rich in limestone pebbles — giving the vineyard its name and its character — with excellent drainage and the kind of lean fertility in which Pinot Noir builds precision rather than bulk.

Pinot Noir, red only. Wines follow Burgundy's standard premier cru framework.

Caillerets is the clearest expression of Volnay's particular kind of elegance: light in colour, floral in perfume, firm enough on the finish to age well, yet never heavy. Together with Taillepieds it forms the defining pair of Volnay premier crus — and against Pommard, just across the hill, it stands as the purest argument for finesse over power.

Domaine Marquis d'Angerville — the leading Volnay family estate and a principal owner of Les Caillerets. Biodynamic farming, fine-grained interpretation.

Domaine Michel Lafarge — another defining Volnay house, also biodynamic, with a parcel here.

Domaine de Montille — a major presence across both Volnay and Pommard premier crus.

Bouchard Père & Fils — the négociant holds a historical parcel bottled as "Cuvée Carnot", one of the flagship cuvées in the Bouchard range.

Domaine Pousse d'Or — a Santenay-based estate with parcels across several Volnay premier crus.