The d'Angerville family describes Taillepieds as a little more serious and reserved than its other Volnays, especially when young, a wine that often needs extra years in bottle to open its bouquet. That's why a 2008 is the one to look for. The name means "foot-cutter," because the climat is covered in sharp-edged stones that wore out the vignerons' shoes fast. The domaine's 1.07-hectare parcel sits at the very top of the Volnay slope on the village's south hill, with only a strip of village Volnay between it and the woods. The soil is poor, whitish and rocky, and the slope faces south-east. The family credits the steep slope, the thin soil and the especially sunny exposure for the wine's finesse. They credit the high elevation for its serious streak: in their view it's racy, and a bit more complete and powerful than their Champans or Caillerets. The 2008 was made partway through the domaine's conversion to biodynamics, which started in 2006 and finished in 2009. Yields stay low partly thanks to "Pinot d'Angerville," a fine, low-yielding vine selection that Sem and Jacques d'Angerville developed in the early 1950s.