Justin Girardin Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru “Morgeot”

WHY WE LOVE IT

  • Justin Girardin’s plot is less than half an acre in size in the climat of ‘La Grande Borne’ on the western hillside of the much larger ‘Morgeot.’
  • Triple sorting of the grapes, twice in the vineyard and one more after the grapes have been harvested. Only the the healthiest and ripest grapes make it to bottle.

Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay

Elaboration: The grapes are de-stemmed, put in tanks and cooled to 12 ° for 5-7 days (cold maceration) to extract the primary aromas. Then under the action of yeasts naturally present in the grapes (indigenous yeasts), the alcoholic fermentation begins. The temperature is monitored daily. The maceration lasts between 15-20 days accompanied by rare pigeages (just to break the paths grape juice) and several pumping per day (depending on the progress of the fermentation).After a brief cold settling, the wine is put in Burgundy barriques where both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations occur naturally. The wine rests for 18 months and it is then racked to bottle. 25% New oak barrels of Allier and Vosges origin

Tasting Notes: Seductive, with a bouquet of roses and lychee and a distinct spice aroma on the finish. Golden yellow in colour, spicy in aroma and flavour, reminiscent of yellow roses, cloves, lychees and nutmeg. Luscious and powerful on the palate with an elegant, dry and aromatic finish.

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PRODUCER BACKGROUND

The Girardin name has been synonymous with elite level Burgundy for 700 years, most recently through the wines of Justin’s uncle, Vincent Girardin, and his father, Jacques Girardin.  With the provenance of this family’s holdings and the talent seemingly entrenched in this bloodline, Justin is more than a name to watch – He is without question one of the most exciting young names in the region, farming 17 hectares of vines in Pommard, Chassagne Montrachet, and Savigny-les-Beaune using organic and biodynamic practices.

Transparency is the name of the game – Only native yeast is used here, and it is rare to experience the influence of new oak in any of Justin’s bottlings.  The family believes in clonal diversity as both a way to preserve culture and a way to increase complexity of finished wines – You’ll see a dizzying number of clonal selections in each of their vineyard holdings.  These are Burgundies of precision, and also wines that deliver tremendous value.

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