Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Les Peuillets 2022 Domaine Justin Girardin

The Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Peuillets 2022 from Domaine Justin Girardin is the domaine's flagship premier cru in this appellation, a supple, elegant and immediately seductive bottle from the southernmost premier cru of Savigny before the slopes of Beaune begin. On the generous, sun-filled 2022 vintage, this Pinot Noir expresses the full ripeness and fruit intensity of its sandy terroir, while preserving the freshness and finesse that define Justin Girardin's signature.

The terroir of Les Peuillets

Les Peuillets is one of 22 premier crus in Savigny-lès-Beaune, situated at the southern edge of the commune, directly adjacent to Beaune's premier crus, separated from the celebrated Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roi by a simple path. This border position between two great appellations is essential to understanding the wine: Les Peuillets possesses something of Beaune's generous, meaty character while retaining the lightness and drinkability typical of Savigny. The name's etymology is a double and fascinating mystery: one theory links it to old French Pelet, meaning "nothing, a pittance", referring to the soil's poor fertility, unsuitable for staple crops like wheat. Another traces it to Puelle, "young wood", echoing a forest that covered the site in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The land was worked before the Revolution, then abandoned, before the vine reclaimed it. In any case, this low-relief terroir, facing south-east at around 250 metres altitude, has sandy, particularly well-draining soils composed of gravel and reddish-brown limestone, a substrate that ensures regular and early ripening of Pinot Noir, gives the wine roundness, richness and abundant fruit, and produces that style of Savigny that is immediately seductive and accessible. The domaine's vines, now 50 years old, are farmed in biodynamics with constant rigour.

Tasting profile

The colour is a dark cherry with purple reflections, bright and of fine intensity. The 2022, a warm and generous vintage, lends it remarkable depth. The nose is expressive and immediately engaging: aromas of fleshy red fruits, morello cherry, black cherry, ripe strawberry, assert themselves generously, joined by a light pepper and spice note characteristic of Pinot Noir, plus fine integrated oak from the ageing. With aeration, nuances of blackberry and preserved raspberry enrich the bouquet. On the palate, suppleness and elegance emerge at once: the attack is fruited and full, the texture velvety and silky, the tannins present but of remarkable fineness and refinement, from an extraction conducted with delicacy. The fruit has reached complete ripeness on this sandy terroir, translating to generous, full matter, lifted by natural freshness that brings balance and length. The finish is long, fruited and lightly spiced, with that return of ripe strawberry and sweet spice that marks great Les Peuillets at maturity. Drink now with pleasure, or keep until 2030-2032.

The domaine

The Girardin family has been established in Burgundy since 1570. Justin Girardin, thirteenth generation, took the helm of the family domaine's 17 hectares in 2012 from his father Jacques, brother of the celebrated négociant Vincent Girardin. Armed with experience abroad and in other French wine regions, he returned to Burgundy with a resolutely modern vision: wines closer to their terroir, fermented with native yeasts, with gentle extraction through a five-day cold pre-fermentation maceration and rare punchdowns in favour of frequent pump-overs, and fifteen months ageing in Allier and Vosges oak with just 22 per cent new wood. His philosophy is simple and profound: let nature express itself as much as possible, intervene with minimum force and maximum precision. Bottling takes place on favourable lunar days.

Food pairings

This Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Peuillets pairs beautifully with roasted milk lamb with herbs, duck with cherries, veal in morel cream sauce, grilled duck breast, or poached eggs in burgundy red wine sauce. It will also find fine harmony with soft cheeses such as Brie de Meaux, aged Camembert or Reblochon. Served between 16 and 17 °C, with gentle decanting suggested for younger vintages, it will reveal all the fruity generosity and natural elegance of a great Premier Cru from the Côte de Beaune.