The Story

The Girardin family have been in Burgundy since 1570.  Justin is the 13th generation to oversee the family’s 17 hectares which stretches from Santenay to Savigny-Les-Beaune. For generations the Girardins grew vegetables, raised cattle, and grew vines. It was not until after WWII that they shifted their focus to winemaking. Throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s Jean Girardin began acquiring land around Santenay, selecting the best parcels to plant Burgundy varieties. Justin’s parents, Jacque and Valérie expanded their holdings to include Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, and Savigny-Les-Beaune.

Justin returned from working and learning elsewhere in 2013, to assist his father in advancing the quality of the Domaine’s wines. In 2017, he ascended to the head of the estate. Although he continues the family production of just two grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, he brings with him modern techniques and philosophy, acquired outside of Burgundy. Justin works with a very simple vision: “To always question himself in order to seek the best quality possible, and allow each wine to be the purest expression of its terroir.” Therefore, rather than working towards an archetype, the objective, and indeed the end result, are individual wines, with their own unique identity. Also central to this philosophy is a more hands-off approach, intervening in wine’s natural production only in extraordinary circumstances.

Bourgogne Blanc Chardonnay

From 25 year old vines. Aged half in used French Oak barrels, half in tanks. The oak comes from Allier, Vosges, and  Bertranges.  No new oak is used in this wine. Aging is for 12 months. The tank and barrels are blended prior to bottling.

The vines are trained in simple Guyot. Green harvesting is employed, primarily de-budding, and thinning the canopy. The grapes are hand-harvested and triple sorted, twice in the vineyard and once at the winery.

In the winery, grapes are pressed upon arrival. Fermentation is low temperature to maintain freshness and preserve flavours. Fermentation begins in vats and continued in barrels. All yeasts are natural to preserve the unique character of the wine.

From vintage to vintage this wine gives a very modern, yet unmistakable representation of Burgundy; while replete with non-fruit elements, the fruits are vibrant and transparent.