Vincent Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltroie Premier Cru 2017

In our book, you can really never have too much fantastic Red Burgundy – especially when you can find it at a great price like this! Deals on Burgundy of any sort have become scarce in the wine world these days, but we pride ourselves on finding those gems that seriously overdeliver! This is just such a wine – a well-regarded house, with access to a pristine, Premier Cru lieu-dit in Chassagne-Montrachet, where old vines and careful development in bottle have combined to produce this stellar offering! To have it all at the best price in the USA...that’s why we’re First Bottle!

The Vincent Giardin estate was established in 1980 when Vincent began producing wine from five acres in Santenay that he inherited. He was only 19, and over the next twenty years, he built the domaine into a Burgundy powerhouse, making a large amount of wines, from an ever-expanding portfolio, and exporting them to every corner of the globe. In many circles, the estate developed a reputation of being a victim of its own success – as demand increased, the style of the wine became almost formulaic, and many Burgundy purists began to shy away from the wines as being almost generic. All of that began to change in 2002, when the domaine brought on winemaker, Eric Germain, brother to Jean-François Germain of the highly regarded Henri Germain house in Meursault. Less oak, longer elevage, less batonnage, and a greater attention to farming were implemented, along with a plan to slowly transition all of their holdings to biodynamic farming. The effect has been substantial, summed up by Burgundy expert William Kelley, below.

“Wines that were once oaky and somewhat exaggerated are now deep, precise and beautifully differentiated by site. There's more work in the vineyards—fully 21 hectares of which are now owned—and they are increasingly being converted to biodynamic farming. Élevage is longer, with the last of these 2017s set to be bottled in April 2019. And Germain uses much less new oak and little bâtonnage. This is now a very serious source for high-quality Burgundy, and the reflex to dismiss this producer as "commercial" is entirely misplaced.” – William Kelley, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate

This pinot noir, from 45-year-old wines – gently sloping and facing east – on a parcel adjacent to the iconic Les Champs Gains, hails from the southwestern edge of the village of Chassagne-Montrachet. The soil is limestone and marl, and a manual harvest and full de-stemming sees these grapes into tank for a few day’s cold soak prior to fermentation. Aging occurs in 30% new French oak, for 14 months. The result is bright, and fresh, with myriad red berries – strawberries, raspberries, cranberries – plus a hearty dose of spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, with a lightly floral element of peonies and hibiscus, all grounded by this damp earthy and forest duff note on the finish. It’s rich and velvety throughout, with plenty of structure to develop fantastically over the next decade. Cool stuff, at a glorious price!

PAIRING IDEAS: Keeping it simple – a whole roasted chicken, on a bed or orzo pasta, cooked like rice, finished with butter, fresh tarragon, and lemon zest.