Tasted in Givry with Jean-Baptiste Bordeaux Montrieux, 25 October 2018.

Domaine Thénard
7 Rue de L’Hôtel de ville
71640 Givry
Tel: +33 3 85 44 31 36

Fermentations are always late here as it’s a cold cellar – so as has been my recent habit, I taste the vintage one year older. Jean-Baptiste prefers to make a longer elevage – up to 24 months.

​Jean-Baptiste on the 2018 vintage:
“2018 was very hard for reds, I tasted the grapes and we had high degrees, but often they were still not ripe tasting.

I asked Jean-Baptiste if, like the Côte d’Or it was becoming more difficult for him to find pickers, “I have to feed them, lodge them and do the occasional marriage, but it’s still not easy!“

​Jean-Baptiste on the 2017 vintage:
“2017 is the first vintage I’ve ever seen that needed not one gram of sugar. Givry was down 30% due to frost in reds and it was also hard to extract the juice on the whole, so we had even less, but the Côte d’Or was excellent. “

​Jean-Baptiste on the 2016 vintage:
“​Little to harvest, whether Mercurey or Montrachet.  It was a good harvest in Givry where we had no frost, in fact a great harvest here, Corton too, but in Pernand much less, Grands-Echézeaux was only 8 hl/ha, the same in Montrachet, and Chassagne – the vines were weak after the frost and many had some mildew that developed after. But we had good maturity, though it’s amazing, we have almost the same analysis for the grand crus each year! The wines are ready to think about bottling now, indeed they are starting to need some air. “

The wines…

Some very worthy Givry if you’re in the market for that – the Côte d’Or wines are generally excellent but the frost-reduced volumes could make you cry – good luck finding some!

2016 Givry Clos Cellier aux Moines
Good colour. A hint of reduction, but vibrant pretty fruit. Round, with energy, a little rasp of tannin that fits with the rasp-berry fruit 🙂

2016 Givry Les Bois Cheveaux ​
Lighter bright red colour. The nose quickly cleans in the glass, supple, finer fruit, good length with a pretty salinity. A depth of finishing flavour that’s really quite impressive.

2016 Givry Clos St.Pierre
Very attractive pure berry fruit. Fuller, good concentration and depth of flavour – the most complete yet. Long, ooh this is very, very good. This the only one that’s racked and you can really see the difference that the aeration brings. Excellent Givry.

2016 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Ile des Vergelesses ​
Hmm, a nose of faintly spiced depth and broad fruit. Direct, concentrated, young, serious melting of fine flavour in finish to offer a broader palate of flavour.

2016 Corton Clos du Roi​
Corton part in barrel still, another part already in tank. We try both.
Fumé – a new barrel. Round, fumé but with a super length. Next try from tank. From tank a beautiful berry fruit. This was racked two weeks ago. Lithe vibrant, a hint of tannin, some power, and long, slow-moving slow waves of finishing flavour. Super!

Les blancs:

2016 Givry 1er Cellier aux Moines ​
Spicy new oak. Round, but actually a good weight and line. The oak revives a little in the finish, but this is rather good if – as noted – oaky,

2016 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Clos St.Jean ​
I hesitated to harvest this as there was so little – just a feuillette from 0.17 ha
A fresher nose with no overt oak. Supple, concentrated, layered. This will be lovely, but there will hardly be any… Slightly floral in the finish and with concentration too…

2016 Montrachet
​Why not taste from 2 barrels?
Old barrel: Hmm a nice width of faintly floral aroma. Line, vibrant energy, layered flavour. A touch of tannin. A burst of finishing fruit and flowers. Not completely open but a fine thing all the same
New barrel: Broader, some barrel spice too. A little fuller but still a drive from the energy, a line of flavour, more vibrant still, long, long, long. I’m surprised that I prefer the new barrel but it seems to have more volume in all directions.