This delight, grown on the bluey-purple soils of Mont Brouilly, is a stunner. Raspberry acidity is matched with a distinctive savoury, earthy edge reminiscent of good Cabernet Franc.

Plums, raspberry and violets on the nose with an earthy, mildly sticky, sappy tannin profile. Fresh and fruity but with a distinctive savoury, white pepper and coriander edge.

The old, short goblet trained vines growing in this favoured corner of Brouilly, sit on bluey-purple layers of manganese soil (les roches bleues) under the 1585 foot Mont Brouilly. The summit of Brouilly has also been a place of worship since 1857, when a chapel was built for the protection of the vines from oidium (vine mildew). This wine was crafted from a parcel of vines in a single domaine near the summit of this long extinct volcano (hence Volcan in the name of the wine).

Grapes are hand-picked and whole-berry fermented for 5-8 days (maceration carbonique) followed by a further 2 or 3 on the skins in order to keep plenty of aromatic young fruit yet add a splash of subtle tannins to give greater weight.

Served at room temperature, it is ideal with 'pepposo' (a peppery Italian beef stew), a peppered steak or, for a simple lunch, a pastrami on rye sandwich.