It is difficult to be clear-cut about the overall quality of red wines from any particular Cote d�Or producer. The difficulty is that in each Domaine one finds failures as well as triumphs and the wines change sharply from vintage to vintage because the region, whilst ideal for the growing of Pinot Noir in fine years, lies at the northern climatic limit for successful red wine production.

But if one had to name a grower whose every wine is consistently excellent, it would be Michel Lafarge, the former mayor of Volnay. A tall, distinguished and contemplative man in his late sixties, Lafarge started with distinct advantages. The family Domaine, founded in the 19th century, was one of the first to estate bottle its wines in the 1930s, giving the purest expression to some of the finest sites in Volnay. The Lafarge�s prize possession is the 0.9 hectare site of Clos des Chenes, producing probably their greatest wine. Other gems are the gently expressive and beautifully balanced Beaune Greves, the upright and elegant Pommard Pezerolles and the majestic Volnay Clos du Chateau des Ducs, a monopole which had been leased out for many years but which returned to the family in the late 1980s. All these are fabulous wines - and very expensive.

Yet the masterly winemaking of Michel and his son Frederic is even more impressively demonstrated in the Domaine�s less famous wines. The Volnay Vendanges Selectionnes is the star buy in the cellar. Both the classic 1992 and the more forward 1994 are better wines than other growers� premier crus, and the 1995 Meursault, which may be drunk with pleasure now, does not rely for its considerable charm on the masking flattery of new oak.

Despite his advancing years, Michel Lafarge is one of the most open-minded winemakers on the Cote, always ready to discuss a fine Pinot Noir or Chardonnay from California on its own merits. For him, vinification is observation, requiring a flexible approach based on his very long experience of the climatic twists and turns of Volnay at harvest time. Every year is different, yet every year he delivers the goods.