Tasted with Eric Germain in Meursault, 06 October 2022.
Domaine Vincent Girardin
“Les Champs Lins”
BP 48
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 20 81 00
http://www.vincentgirardin.com
More reports with Domaine Vincent Girardin
Eric on 2021:
“There’s not a lot. Depending on the sector, we have between 50% and 70% lower volume. Nothing is bottled yet and the reds have not yet been racked. Overall, it was nearly half a harvest for the rest but more like 1/3 for the whites – on average. We started harvesting the reds and finished with the whites. We were surprised how much colour we got out of the reds and we weren’t jumping up and down on them to extract… We used some optical sorting in 2021 and I think this worked really well. I’m more than happy with the wines – I’m now proud when I taste them. The quality of the white grapes was really good, I just worried about the density as we just had 12.8-13.2° but for the reds, it was hard to find the quality and balance – so I’m even more proud of my reds!”
The wines…
At this stage last year, the wines were much more ready to be tasted and were so obviously great. This year, they are less open and more guarded – but some are still, clearly, going to be great wines!
Starting with the reds: “We will start bottling in November – the premier crus maybe in November – I think by January the reds will be done – but not yet the whites:”
2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot Fairendes
All the work done by the team from here – not yet in biodynamics as the owner doesn’t want it.
Nice depth here with a small cushion to this nose – some fine invitation here. Lots of energy, mouth-filling, a fine grain of tannin. Juicy and perfectly formed – Excellent wine!
Buy the grapes from here, not biodynamic though – no whole clusters.
A higher-toned more red fruit with some blackcurrant too. Extra energy here – extra mouth-watering too – bravo wine – it’s easy to see!
2021 Pommard 1er Grands Epenots
From old vines. Bought as wine but all elevage here – no whole clusters.
Supple, a simmering depth of dark fruit aroma. Extra width and sweetness, really an intensity too – direct, fresh – really impressive Pommard without any of the negatives that can go with the name.
2021 Volnay 1er Santenots
Santenots mainly from Plures and Blancs – over 2 hectares of old vines from 1965 and 1975. ‘Usually with very small grapes and all biodynamic.’ All whole cluster.
Higher tones – a little floral and mixed with redder fruits. Extra width – and concentration in that width too – really an extra minerality – here there’s a more airy style to the finish. Both these wines hyper-impressive but give me the Epenots of the two today…
2021 Volnay 1er Les Pitures
Close to Pommard Rugiens, planted in the early 1970s, always organic and for the last 4 years, biodynamic. Like the last wine – 100% domaine produce.
Like the last wine just a few fermentation notes in these high tones – but becoming more and more floral with air. Direct, a little gassy, plenty of juicy energy – Much to await with impatience today but this needs more time to show itself – it is often a great wine here…
2021 Volnay 1er Champans
Once a purchase contract, today domaine. Vines cultivated organically since 1950! Biodynamic for the last 5 years.
A calmer nose but with an almost glossy width of finer aroma. Some gas – like the last – growing in intensity. Ooh – that’s a great finish. I love how this wine finishes!
2021 Corton Perrières
Vines close to Charlemagne, ‘conventional culture but old vines that bring a lot of minerality.’ Always very small grapes here.
Another high-toned nose with a faint rose perfume – wc? – ‘yes a little.’ Airy, transparent – very attractive. Direct yet with width at the same time. Open and fine flavoured.
‘From a domaine with similar convictions in the vineyard.’
The most complete nose yet – complex – plenty of volume – so engaging. Here is both power and concentration. A wine to wait for, without doubt, but a great one.
2021 Charmes-Chambertin
An exchange of grapes for this, all whole cluster, vinified here.
Less forward – there are only wc here – but there’s no gothic, or indeed, overt whole cluster references – just a little spice. Mouth-filling, mineral, some extra sweetness of fruit – a more direct wine than the CV – but you can see a similar Côte de Nuits-ness! Simply excellent.
Les Blancs…
Just three have been racked, the rest are still in barrel. “No acidification for any of the wines – it disagrees with me:”
2021 Meursault Les Grands Charrons
Fresh – like almost all 2021s – a proper Meursault impression too. Wide and citrus mouthwatering – a good intensity and a fine, clear, picture of the flavour panorama. Simply excellent villages…
2021 Meursault Les Casse-Têtes
Broader, fuller but less fresh and interesting aromas. A hint of sweetness – but then a long broad wave of flavour pushed with a little CO2 gas. Super finishing – again, simply excellent.
2021 Meursault Les Tillets
Domaine, biodynamic, direction Javiller and Roulot, mid-parcel. About 50 years old vines
Hmm – yellow citrus even a little waxy. Here is a more direct wine, the gas helping frame the wine with a small tannin. Chalky texture – but beautifully haunting citrus flavour. A beauty!
Hmm – that’s a beautiful nose – a little floral too. Hmm – that’s beautiful – a little softer to strat but with plenty of middle and finishing structure, even a hint of chalkiness in the texture again. Bravo!
Half from domaine the rest from bought grapes, the latter conventionally farmed but with very few treatments and ploughed. More chalky here.
A more vibrant and mineral width of aroma. Bubbling with energy – a more direct lemon and mineral wine. Structural and to wait for – like the Tessons – but that wine just needs to open more and come into a bit more focus. I think this great too!
2021 Meursault 1er Les Charmes-Dessus
Three biodynamic parcels all in the top part – 40-50-year-old vines.
A riper width of baseline fruit, a little tighter in the higher tones but it’s coming and is super classic with the ginger-spice. Fuller, a few mm of cushion – more generous but slowly it’s the bubbling mineral energy that comes to the fore that leaves you wanting to take another sip – more than very good!
2021 Meursault-Blagny 1er
Less deep, less wide but plenty of attractive freshness. Wide in the mouth – a great panorama of fresh flavour – clearly from a different place. More airy, fine mineral – ‘the grandfather of Narvaux!‘ Delicious.
One parcel at the top with vines that are 60 years old, and are showing a little degeneration in one part of the vines (yellow vines, low yielding)
An extra and different dimension of fruit in this aroma – almost a little mandarin orange flesh. Properly mouth-filling but without pain. Exquisitely long. Again with the extra-special agrume blend.
2021 Meursault 1er Perrières
All organic, one part in the middle, the other next to Clos de Perrières – a little more than 1 ha in total, some missing plants so a low yield.
More weight of aroma – just a little oak visible in support for this one. More concentration, really great texture too. You can see the purity and persistence here – next level – but ultimately less delicious than the last – today. Still fabulous wine.
2021 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champsgain
More direct, less oak, beautifully carved from the rock. Tension – directly – what a beauty. Simply excellent wine!
2021 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Combettes
Do all the vineyard work here.
Broader with more interesting hooks and reminiscences from these aromas. More richness – but still with insinuating cooked lemon flavours.
2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot Fairendes
Here’s a fine mineral freshness, slightly more floral. Clean, broad, bubbling with flavour – a super blend of both the mineral and the citrus. Lovely finishing blend of purity and intensity.
Buy these biodynamic grapes and the team here have done all the vineyard work since last year. 0.30 ha
Deep, waxy, complex, warm citrus complexity. Mouth-filling a steely edge to the acidity, round, encompassing flavours – it needs time but this is a great wine in construction, I think.
Roughly equal parts of the 3 villages. Only one cuvée in this low-volume vintage – so no Quintessence.
Beautiful aromatics – easy depth, easy top notes, easy florality – there is everything. Mouth-filling, a little richness but cut by practically perfect acidity and structure. That’s a great, great CC!
2021 Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet
An all biodynamic, a single parcel, just one barrel – half the vines have been pulled out so it’s hard.
Ooh, that’s a really fruity and rounder nose. Full, glycerol, but underpinned with such good minerality it has all the balance that you could wish for. A panorama of finishing flavour – grand finishing!
2021 Bâtard-Montrachet
Some butteriness but more importantly a fabulous vibration of minerality. Here is a wine with a powerful structure – not hard or austere – just present. Broad and super-long lasting. Super!
These aromas are just a little more guarded – ripe at the base but also very complex and concentrated with beeswax and ripe lemons for sure. Yes, special lemons – it just melts over the palate too – just so easy compared to the structure of the Batard. Not quite in place yet – except for the grandiose finish! Everything is here for great wine!