Savigny les Beaune Les Gollardes 2023 Domaine Justin Girardin

The Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Gollardes 2024 from Domaine Justin Girardin is one of the most endearing and characteristic cuvées from this thirteen-generation family domaine, produced from a climat with an etymology as fascinating as its terroir is singular. A wine full of fruit and roundness with notes of blackcurrant and raspberry, delicately oak-aged, whose supple and harmonious structure speaks with honesty and elegance of all that Savigny-lès-Beaune offers at its most immediate and most seductive.

The terroir and the vines

Les Gollardes is a climat at the far north of the Savigny-lès-Beaune vineyard. The relief is particularly pronounced here, forming a funnel between the montagne de Beaune, the Rhouin valley and the combes Vauteloy and Barbauron that bound the parcels. The name Gollardes comes from this very configuration, gole and its diminutive gollot meaning in Old French the gullet or bottleneck. Another theory holds that the name derives from gol, an inferior grape variety probably forbidden at the same time as Gamay by Philippe le Hardi in 1395. This hillside terroir is cold and dry, permanently exposed to wind because of its funnel-shaped layout. The soil is clayey with calcareous gravel at the surface, and at depth a vast calcareous plate forms a cornice. South-westerly exposure brings the heat and ripeness necessary for Pinot Noir. The vines, approximately 40 years old, are farmed in biodynamics. Harvesting is manual with triple selection, twice in the vineyard and on a vibrating table. The grapes are destemmed and placed in vat at 12°C for 5 days of cold pre-fermentation maceration to extract primary aromas, using only indigenous yeasts. Maceration lasts 15 to 20 days with rare punchdowns and numerous pump-overs for a gentle and delicate extraction. Ageing of 12 months in barrels.

Tasting profile

The robe is a brilliant ruby red with violet reflections, bright and luminous. The nose is expressive and immediately generous, aromas of blackcurrant, raspberry and morello cherry assert themselves with frankness and naturalness, finely complemented by discreet oak that is well integrated. The roundness and volume often evoke morello cherries with real elegance, in the vigneronʼs own words. On the palate, the texture is silky and supple, with tannins of fine grain and melted, the result of gentle extraction that preserves all the natural delicacy of Pinot Noir on this calcareous gravel terroir. Fresh acidity brings momentum and drinkability to fruity, harmonious matter. The finish is clean, fruity and lightly spiced, with pleasant persistence that confirms the sincerity and character of this climat. A wine accessible from now and capable of fine evolution over four to five years.

The domaine

A domaine present in Burgundy since 1570, Justin Girardin today represents the thirteenth generation at the head of this seventeen-hectare family domaine, spanning from Santenay to Savigny-lès-Beaune, via Chassagne-Montrachet and Pommard. Each parcel produces a different wine with its own identity. Vigilant about the wellbeing of his vines, Justin and his team work in biodynamics, intervening only when necessary to maintain the vineyard within the logic of healthy agriculture, increasingly respectful of its environment.

Food pairing

This Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Gollardes will pair beautifully with grilled or roasted meats, herb-roasted poultry, rabbit with mustard, fine country terrine or cheeses with mild flavours such as Brie de Meaux, Tomme de Savoie or Reblochon. Served between 16 and 17°C, with light decanting advised, it will reveal all the fruity roundness and natural elegance of a terroir-driven Savigny-lès-Beaune signed by a thirteen-generation winemaking family.